Secrets and Lies
by RJLupinFan
Summary: Rose Wilson fancies Remus Lupin. Rose is pretty sure that Remus fancies her too - he even kissed her. So why won't he just admit it? Remus/OC. Features the Marauders, Lily Evans and Severus Snape.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dearest readers! This story is a re-write of my very first chapter-fic (formerly called The Marauders: Broomsticks and Fairytales). I was very young and new to writing when I first wrote it, but I do like the story line so I am posting it here after an extensive re-write. I hope you enjoy this re-write.**

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Rose Wilson looked around at the corridor in which she stood. The castle was magnificent, of course - the Grand Hall had left her speechless - but at the same time it seemed strangely comforting. Rose found that reassuring, since starting new at Hogwarts as a fifth year student was rather intimidating, especially for a shy foreign student who had never attended a magic school before. As she gazed at the elaborate mahogany door she was soon expected to enter, she wondered, not for the first time, how the other students would react to her. She had been told it was very rare for students to be accepted into the school at her age. Students always started at Hogwarts from first year. However the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was an unusually kind man and saw no reason why she should not be allowed entrance into a later year level. Still, she could not help but worry about how she would fit in - no doubt tight friendship groups were already well established.

Rose took a deep breath before she turned towards the door of her first class, her hand outstretched as she reached for the handle, she heard a rather stern voice of a woman shout out.

"Mr Potter, Mr Black, for the last time, pay attention! 10 points from Gryffindor - no, Mr Potter, I do not care that it's the first day of term."

Rose hesitated for a moment, and thought it best that she gave the woman time to calm down before entering the class, while making a mental note that this seemed like the kind of teacher it was unwise to cross. At length, Rose knocked on the door, her hand shaking.

"Enter," came a voice from inside.

Rose opened the door and walked into the classroom. She looked around the room and found a class of eight students staring at her. She timidly turned towards the Professor, who, to her relief, was smiling.

"Good morning, I take it that you are Rose Wilson?" she asked kindly.

"Yes, Professor," she replied. "Er, I'm sorry I'm late. I got lost after my meeting with Professor Dumbledore."

"That is perfectly fine, Miss Wilson. I am Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor house, " she replied. She turned to face the rest of the class and announced, "This is Miss Rose Wilson, a new addition to our Gryffindor fifth year class. Her family moved her from Australia last month, and she will be continuing her education at Hogwarts. I expect that each and every one of you will make her feel most welcome."

Looking around at the students, Rose noticed a handsome boy reclining comfortably in his chair, looking perfectly at ease. Much to her embarrassment, he winked at her, and a messy haired boy seated next to him grinned broadly at his friends daring. Rose blushed and hastily looked away. She made eye contact with a friendly faced girl with green eyes and red hair. She smiled at her, and Rose smiled back. She felt herself feeling slightly more comfortable.

"Well, Miss Wilson, if you would kindly take a seat. There is only one spare, just over there next to Mr Black, if you don't mind."

Rose looked in the direction the Professor had pointed, and was disappointed to see her referring to the boy who had winked at her. Rose walked over to the seat and slowly sat down, while he turned towards her, and much to her relief, did not wink this time, but offered his hand. After shaking hands, he whispered to her, "Sirius Black."

Professor McGonagall resumed the class, and Sirius turned to face her. Rose was too nervous to focus and instead found herself examining her fellow students. The class, she knew, was made up of only the Gryffindor students.

She glanced at the boy sitting next to Sirius. He had black hair and dark brown eyes. Looking at his book, Rose saw that his name was James Potter. Rose remembered that it had been at him and Sirius that Professor McGonagall had yelled at when she was still outside. Smiling to herself, Rose predicted that the two must be the class trouble makers. As she watched him, she noticed that he had a habit of running his fingers through his messy hair and looking over at the girl with green eyes and red hair, who seemed to be oblivious to his attempts to catch her eye. She was busy listening to Professor McGonagall explain the upcoming OWL exams with rapt attention. In fact, Rose noticed, most of the class seemed to be wearing worried expressions at what Professor McGonagall was explaining, and Rose realised it was probably best for her to listen as well.

Before Rose even had time to put her books away at the end of the class, Sirius turned towards her and said, rather loudly, "So. We've never had new students above first year before."

Acutely aware that most of the class was now listening, Rose awkwardly replied, "My family moved here from Australia for my dad's work."

"Australia? Did you go to school there?" James asked, curiously.

"There are no magic schools in Australia, James," said the red haired girl before Rose could reply. She smiled kindly at Rose and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Lily Evans."

"Thank you," Rose replied, and she was introduced to the rest of the girls - Mary Macdonald (a short, kind faced girl with long black hair), Norma Prewett (who also had red hair) and Astrid Doge (a tall brunette who Rose thought was strikingly pretty) - who she would be sharing a dorm with.

They were joined by two other boys, and the taller of the two, a nice looking boy with brown hair said, "I'm Remus Lupin and this is Peter Pettigrew."

Rose looked at Peter, a short boy with a round face, who avoided looking at her and fidgeted with his bag instead. She thought he seemed rather shy. Unfortunately, Sirius seemed to have noticed this as well.

"Oh don't be so shy, Peter!"

Peter blushed, mumbled a hurried "hi", and stepped back into the shadows.

"Peter is rather shy around pretty girls," James said in a rather loud whisper. This time, it was Rose who blushed.

"Leave him alone, Potter!" snapped Lily. "Not everyone is as confident as you and Sirius."

"Do you think I'm confident, Evans? Is that something you like about me?" replied James, smirking at Lily. She rolled her eyes at him in reply.

Rose was surprised at this question, and the confusion must have shown on her face, because Mary, laughing, said:

"You'll get used to it Rose. James Potter is crazy about Lily, but she can't stand him."

Sirius smirked, while James, looking annoyed said, "Like we don't all know you are obsessed with Sirius."

Mary looked mortified and, thinking that this conversation was getting out of hand, Rose quickly cut in -

"Shouldn't we be heading off to the next class?"

"Looks like we have ourselves a peace keeper,' Sirius said, still smirking. "Watch out Remus, you might be out of a job."

"With all the trouble you and James get up to, I think I could use a helping hand," Remus replied warily, offering a small smile to Rose.

Rose smiled back as she followed the others to the next class. She couldn't help but notice that Remus had a lovely smile, and though he was not as handsome as Sirius, he had a special charm of his own.

It wasn't until the following day that Rose started to feel comfortable around her new classmates. Lily and Mary took her under their wing, and boys were rather fun, even if Lily avoided them as much as possible. With her nerves finally settled, Rose was eager to learn more about her new friends.

She was sitting with Lily and Mary for lunch, while Sirius, James, Remus and Peter sat across them. Lily had protested when the boys had sat next to them, but she couldn't argue when Sirius pointed out that they wanted to befriend Rose too. Rose was not sure how true this was - she strongly suspected that it was an excuse for James to sit with Lily.

Lily turned her attention back to Rose, and asked about her life back in Australia.

"Well," she said, lowering her fork back to her plate, "like you said, there aren't any magic schools in Australia. The magically community is very small. One of the reasons I was so excited about coming to Britain was the large magical community."

"But how did you learn to control your magic?" asked Remus.

"I was home schooled. My parents started teaching me magic when I was seven, based on the Hogwarts syllabus."

"Seven?" exclaimed Remus. James and Sirius both seemed to have choked on their soup and Remus slapped them both across the back.

"What?" Rose asked, confused.

"Isn't it illegal?" asked Mary. "We can't use a wand outside of Hogwarts until we are 17!"

"Oh. Well, we don't have a proper Ministry of Magic, so it is expected that the parents use their judgement on these matters."

"Imagine the trouble we could have caused, Sirius," said James. "What a shame."

"I hate to say it, James," said Sirius, "but I think we get into enough trouble as it is."

Lily, pointedly ignoring James, turned back to Rose.

"Are your parents both magical, Rose?"

"Yes. Are yours?"

"No, I'm Muggle born. So is Mary. Remus is half blood but James, Sirius and Peter are pure blood too."

"Oh, I'm not a pure blood though," said Rose. The words left her lips before she even realize what she had said.

"Aren't your parents both magical?" asked James, looking confused.

Rose felt a blush creeping up her neck. She was not ready to share her unusual ancestry just yet. She knew it was nothing to be ashamed of, but Rose didn't want to be seen as different, especially not on her second day of school.

"Oh, yes but my dad's dad was a muggle," she mumbled. Her blush deepened - she felt terrible lying to her new friends.

"Well I guess that would technically make you are half blood. Like me," said Remus. "There's nothing wrong with that. None of us care about blood status, Rose."

He had obviously assumed that her hesitation was related to her blood status. She gave him an awkward smile; he smiled shyly back and looked away.

"That's right," said James, "Look at Lily - she's better at potions than most of the pure bloods here," he added, before winking suggestively at Lily.

"And Potter is so thick that I've wondered whether he is part-troll," Lily said sharply.

As James and Lily continued their bickering, Rose sighed in relief as the topic moved away from her heritage, and allowed herself to enjoy the company of her new friends.

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 **AN - Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me, Remus?" Rose called out meekly. Rose had just entered the common room from dormitory when she saw Remus, who was the portrait hole, leaving for their afternoon potions class.

He turned around, surprised to see her.

"Rose? Is everything okay?"

"Sorry, I don't know the way to the potions class. I think it's in the dungeons? Can I go with you?" she asked tentatively.

"Sure," said Remus, smiling.

He climbed through the portrait hole and offered his hand to Rose, helping her through.

"Thanks," said Rose as she straightening up. "That portrait hole is going to take some getting used to…"

"You'll get used to it soon," he said, chuckling softly. "It's a bit inconvenient at first, but it becomes second nature."

"I suppose it would have been too ordinary to just have a door? And don't get me started on the moving staircases and missing steps."

"It must be hard starting at a new school, especially one like Hogwarts," he said, "Please, let me know if you need help with anything."

Rose could not help but smile; James and Sirius were fun to be around, but she found Remus to be the friendliest of the four boys.

"Thank you, that is really nice of you."

"I'm a prefect," he said, pointed at this badge, "I kind of have to be nice."

"But you really do seem like the kind of person who would help out, even if you didn't have to."

At this Remus blushed - Rose could not help but notice that he blushed a lot. He seemed very shy.

"I guess so," he said, grinning sheepishly. His eyes seem to light up as he smiled. Rose thought he looked rather cute.

"So tell me about potions. Is it an interesting class? How is the Professor?"

"Oh," Remus grimaced, pausing for a moment. "I'm rather dreadful at potions, so I suppose I'm not the best person to ask. But watch out for Professor Slughorn, he tends to favour the more talented students and ignores the rest. Unless you are as good as Lily Evans at potions, you'll be having trouble getting him to notice your hard work. And no one is as good as Lily Evans at potions."

"Oh," said Rose apprehensively, biting her lip. Having been home schooled her whole life, she never developed the skills needed to impress her teachers, nor had she ever thought she would need to.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," said Remus quickly, noticing her worried expression.

Rose smiled at him, and as she did, noticed Remus blushing again.

When they reached the potions dungeons, Rose thanked Remus for assisting her, and went to join Lily and Mary while he joined his friends. As she walked through the classroom, she became uncomfortably aware that many students were staring at her. She assumed they were the Slytherins, who they shared their potions class with. One dark haired girl in particular was looking at her with an expression of utmost dislike. She whispered something to her friends, and they all laughed while chancing obvious glances at Rose.

Rose was shocked; she didn't even know the girls and was at a loss as to why they would be treating her so cruelly.

When she joined Lily and Mary, her confusion must have been showing on her face, because they both stopped talking and asked her what was wrong.

Rose looked over her shoulders at the group of girls, who were still laughing at her. Lily followed her gaze and her expression immediately changed from worry to anger.

"Why are they laughing at you?"

"I don't know!" said Rose, frowning, "I don't even know who they are."

"Don't worry Rose," said Mary reassuringly. "That bitch," she said, pointed her head towards the girl who had started the laughter, "is Jacinta Fawley. She is so full of herself, just because her parents are rich pure bloods and a lot of boys fancy her. She is absolutely horrible to me and Lily."

"But I still don't understand why she would dislike me. We haven't even met?" asked Rose.

To her surprise, Lily smiled knowingly.

"I suspect she's jealous that there is someone else prettier than her."

Grinning, Mary added, "Of course she's jealous! Rose is gorgeous. Look, even the Slytherin boys can't keep their eyes off her!"

Rose looked around and sure enough, she had caught the attention of a number of boys. Blushing, she turned away, but not before making eye contact with Remus. She tried to smile at him, but he hastily looked away. Rose continued to look at him, wondering what had just happened.

"Hey, look at Snape! Even he keeps looking at you, Rose!" laughed Mary.

"Which one is he?" asked Rose, turning away from Remus.

"That git with the greasy black hair."

"Mary, don't! He isn't that bad, you know," said Lily defensively.

Before Mary could reply, Professor Slughorn opened the door to the classroom. The class fell silent as Mary stifled her giggling at the thought of Snape fancying her. Rose was happy for the distraction - she did not like people discussing her appearance. She _knew_ she was rather nice looking - she had soft, brown hair that fell in waves around her shoulders, and she was quiet fond of her clear skin and bright brown eyes - but she always felt awkward when people pointed this out.

The afternoon's class was fairly interesting and so, determined to make a good impression, Rose worked very hard on the task. Unfortunately, Slughorn did not even seem to notice her, or her potion. True, it was not as good as Lily's, but it seemed to be at least as good as Mary's attempt.

"Excellent work, Lily, as usual!" Slughorn said happily. "20 points to Gryffindor."

Mary saw that Rose looked defeated and whispered to her, "Don't take it personally - he rarely notices anyone else."

As Rose walked to the front of the classroom to place her sample on the rack, she noticed Jacinta Fawley rolling her eyes at her and laughing about something with her friends. Rose frowned; she really could not understand why Jacinta would hate her so much.

Her answer came minutes later at the end of the lesson. As everyone started packing up, Jacinta and two other girls approached Rose. Jacinta put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Rose, looking her up and down.

"So, this is the new student everyone is talking about?" she said, sneering.

"Umm - " Rose started, not sure what to say.

"She is," said Lily coolly, stepping forward to stand by Rose. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Why would I have a problem?" scoffed Jacinta. Rose noticed that she look at Lily as though she was something rather unpleasant.

"Because you're jealous that someone else is getting more attention than you," snapped Mary.

"Jealous?" said Jacinta, laughing maliciously. She made a big show of flicking her long black hair behind her back before looking at Rose. "She isn't even pretty. Probably a mudblood."

Jacinta's friends laughed; however the Gryffindor's who were listening gasped.

"How dare you!" shrieked Mary.

Sirius and James, who Rose had not even realised were listening, both reached for their wands, but Remus stopped them.

"No," he said sharply, before turning to face Jacinta. "I'll be reporting this to your head of house, Fawley, and recommending detention. Use of that term at Hogwarts is strictly prohibited."

Rose smiled weakly, delighted to have friends willing to defend her. Seeing she was over-powered, Jacinta smirked again, signaled to her friends and strutted out of the classroom.

"Thank you," said Rose softly. "Really, it means a lot to me."

Her friends patted her on the back, assuring her that they would not allow anyone to walk over her like that, all except Remus, who, with a hint of red on his cheeks, was the first to leave the classroom.

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 **AN - Thank you for reading! Things will start heating up in the next chapter. As always, reviews are highly appreciated.  
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	3. Chapter 3

"I will be setting you an assignment to do during today's session," said Professor Selwyn, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "You will work in pairs in the library, where you will have one hour to research about a dark creature. You will have to answer 10 questions about your creature and submit it by the end of the class. The pairings and assigned creatures are on the blackboard." He flicked his wand, and the class was soon pouring through the lists, looking for their names.

It took Rose a moment to find her name on the list, though when she did, she could not help but smile.

"I'm with Remus!" she whispered happily to Lily and Mary. They, however, did not seem to hear her. They were both looking at the board with an expression of horror.

"I'm with James!" Lily moaned. "How could this happen?"

"I'm with Peter! And Astrid and Norma are with Sirius! Why do they _both_ get to be with him?" Mary said angrily, glaring daggers at the other two girls.

"I suppose so that no one would have to work alone."

"I'd rather work alone than with Peter," Mary said darkly. "He's so _slow_."

"Oh, don't be so mean," Rose said. "He's sweet."

"And stupid."

"Swap with me," Lily said. "I'd rather work with Peter than James."

"You know Professor Selwyn would never allow it. Old git," Mary scoffed.

Before Lily could reply, James came to her side.

"Hi, Lily," he said, running a hand through his hair.

Lily glared at him before storming out of the classroom. Rose smiled at James and wished him luck.

"Thanks, but I don't need it," he said with a small smirk before he followed her out of the classroom.

Mary sulked over to Peter, leaving Rose alone. She looked around for Remus and spotted him talking to Professor Selwyn. She approached them happily, just in time to hear the professor saying, "No, I'm sorry Remus, I'm afraid the pairings and creature assignments are final."

Rose froze. She bit her lip, worried. Why would Remus want to change partners?

Remus turned away looking disappointed, but smiled weakly when he saw Rose.

"Hi partner."

"Hi Remus," replied Rose, smiling back anxiously. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course. Let's get to the library before all the good books are taken," he said, but he avoided eye contact with her.

She followed him out of the classroom, wondering if she should just forget what she had overheard. The walk to the library was quiet, and Rose could not help but feel incredibly awkward. She could not hake the feeling that he did not want to work with her, and did not know what to say.

"I am glad we are doing the assignment during class hours," she said after a while. "We have so much homework to do already, I can hardly keep up."

"I know what you mean," he agreed. "I don't know how I am going to find the time for the potions essay. I have prefect duties tonight, and detention tomorrow."

Rose looked up at Remus in surprise.

"You have detention?" she asked. She could not imagine Remus getting into trouble.

He smiled and said, "Yes, Sirius and I were caught letting off dungbombs in the corridor outside the Slytherin common room."

Rose laughed, and said, "But you're a prefect! I never imagined you as a troublemaker."

Remus smiled sheepishly, and Rose could not help but notice how handsome he looked.

"Well, it's a hazard of being friends with James and Sirius. There is never a dull moment with those two."

By the time they reached the library, all awkwardness between them had dissolved and Rose soon forgot that Remus had wanted to change partners.

"I suppose we should get some books. What creature are we meant to be researching?" she asked, realizing that in her excitement at being paired with Remus, she had forgotten to check the content of their assignment.

"Werewolves," Remus said simply, looking at the bookshelves.

"Oh. This might be tricky - I don't know anything about werewolves, other than I wouldn't want to meet one on a full moon. Do you know much on the topic?"

Remus hesitated and replied, "A little bit."

"That's good," said Rose, oblivious to his discomfort, "Why don't you grab us a table while I get some books?"

Rose made her way through the shelves to the dark creature section. She found Lily there, flicking through a book. Her expression was one of exasperation, even though James was nowhere to be seen.

"How are things going with James?" asked Rose.

"Not great. He has already tried putting his arms around my shoulders," she said angrily. "He is an _insufferable_ _prat_."

"And you just let him get away with that?" asked Rose, grinning.

"Of course not. I hexed him," said Lily, finally showing a hint of a smile on her face. "How are things with you and Remus?"

"Good, I suppose. He is very cute, isn't he?" said Rose. "I want to really make a good impression. This is the first time we have worked together. I know he is very good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, but it's one of my worst subjects."

"Just be yourself," Lily said kindly.

Rose found two books with lengthy chapters on werewolves and went back to meet Remus, who was looking at the list of questions they had to answer.

"Where did you get the list from?" asked Rose as she sat down besides him.

"The professor just gave them out. They don't look too bad."

Rose looked over them quickly and sighed, "Speak for yourself. I think it is only fair to warn you that I am not very good at defense. Okay, so the first question is: 'The true werewolf differs in appearance from a normal wolf in many ways. List five features that allow for the differentiation between the two forms.' Well, I haven't got a clue."

She gave one book to Remus and opened the other one.

"I suppose there should be something in here," she said as she turned though the pages of her book. She paused as she came across an image of a werewolf attacking a wizard.

"Oh, that's horrible," she muttered, and she could not help but shiver. She did not think Remus heard her, however, as he continued to examine his book.

"I found the answer," he said. He copied out the notes from the book and started on the next question.

"How can a werewolf be identified outside of the full moon?" Rose read out. "Hmm, that's a good question. What does an untransformed werewolf look like? I haven't really thought about that before. There must be some kind of marking?"

Remus shook his head slowly.

"I don't think so," he said.

This time, it was Rose who found the answer to the question.

"Do you want to write this down? It says here that a werewolf will have a scar from when it was bitten, and appears unusually tired before and after a full moon. Blimey, is that all? That's a bit scary, isn't it? You could walk right past a werewolf and not even know it."

"I suppose so," Remus said softly, as he wrote down the answer.

Rose watched him write, and she was not sure if it was her imagination or not, but he seemed fairly distant again, and she remember that he had wanted to change partners. It made her feel sad he did not want to spend time with her. As Rose watched him, she noticed that he had dark shadows under his eyes. She had not paid much attention to that earlier, but she realized now that it made him look tired. Her eyes flickered down to her lips just as he finished writing and looked up at her. He smiled and asked about the next question.

Embarrassed, Rose looked away and fought back a blush, not liking the knowing smile playing on Remus's lips.

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 **AN - Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

By the end of the second week, Rose had struck a strong friendship with Lily and Mary. Rose had never become so close to anyone so quickly before, but she supposed that living together and sharing a bedroom helped to facilitate the friendship.

Saturday morning, rather than busy themselves with the heap of homework awaiting them in the common room, they went down to the grounds for a walk besides the lake. Lily had wanted to give Rose a proper tour of the school grounds.

"Lily, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what's the situation with you and James?"

"James fancies me", said Lily darkly. "He has since last year."

"And you don't have any interest in him at all?" Rose asked.

"Absolutely not," she replied with a grimace, "He is an arrogant bully."

"Really? I thought he seemed rather nice."

Mary snorted.

"Lily hates James" she said. "He isn't so bad, not really, but he offended Lily on her train ride in to Hogwarts in first year and she refused to give him a second chance."

"Oh, he can be nice, of course, to people he likes. But he is just so full of himself. Have you noticed how he always runs his hand through his hair, to make it messier?" she added.

"Yes, I did. Why does he do that?"

"He plays chaser for the Gryffindor team - he loves to look like he has just come off his broomstick," Lily laughed, rolling her eyes.

"James plays chaser?" Rose asked, looking impressed.

"You're not a Quidditch fan, are you?" said Lily asked, looking surprised.

"I love Quidditch! Actually, I was thinking of trying out for the team," Rose hesitated before adding, "but I don't really want to draw more attention to myself."

Rose stopped walking, and sat down by the lake. After last week's potions class, Jacinta seemed determined to bully Rose. She and her friends would break out in giggling fits whenever they saw her, hexing her at any chance they had.

And to make matters worse, Rose had only become more popular as the week passed. Everyone was curious about the new girl and on Thursday afternoon Rose had turned down a boy who asked her out. This only seemed to frustrate Jacinta more, especially because he was a very popular Slytherin sixth year.

"Don't stress about it, Rose," said Lily kindly. "We don't usually have a lot of exciting gossip at Hogwarts, so unfortunately people are curious about the new girl. Pretty soon you'll be last week's news," She patted Rose on the back.

"Besides," said Mary, grinning mischievously. "I am much more curious to know what is going on with you and Remus?"

"What about us?" said Rose, hoping she sounded innocent, but her body seemed to have betrayed her - she felt a blush creeping across her face.

"Don't pretend you don't know! We've all seen the way he looks at you. In fact, I don't think he can take his eyes of you at all. I've never seen him like this before," said Mary.

"So, he isn't just the type who blushes a lot?" asked Rose hopefully .

"Remus? No, not all! You don't understand how strange it is to see him so shy around you."

Rose thought about this. She had suspected, and rather hoped, that Remus might be interested in her.

"So, do you think he fancies me?" she asked shyly.

Lily cut in before Mary could answer.

"I think it is too early to tell. You've only just met. Give it some time to see what happens. He might just be curious because you're new."

"And pretty," Mary added.

"I'm not _that_ pretty!"

Mary only rolled her eyes at her, and they sat in comfortable silence as Rose thought about the possibility that Remus might actually fancy her.

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Meanwhile, back in Gryffindor tower, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter were still in bed, having just woken up.

"Moony?" called James, addressing Remus.

"Mmm?" replied Remus, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"When are you planning to ask out Rose?"

"What?" asked Remus, now wide awake from shock. He sat up in his bed and looked incredulously at James. "Ask her out? Why would I do that?"

Sirius, his attention caught, smirked, and said: "Because you fancy her, obviously."

"No I don't!"

James sat up in his bed and looked Remus straight in the face, grinned, and said, "Then why are you blushing?"

"I am not blushing!" said Remus defensively, and pulled his bed sheets over his face.

" _Accio bedsheets!_ " said Sirius, forcing Remus to show his face, while James and Peter chuckled.

"Remus, we aren't stupid, you know," said James. "Just admit it."

Remus frowned, looking from one boy to the next. He knew it would do no good to deny it; his friends could read him like an open book.

"What gave it away?"

"I didn't notice anything," said Peter.

"You don't notice anything much, do you Peter?" said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

"Remus, for a supposedly tough werewolf, you sure do blush a lot - and I mean a lot - when Rose is nearby," said James.

"And he can't keep his eyes off her, either," added Sirius, smirking.

Remus groaned, forced to admit defeat.

"You mustn't tell Rose about this," he said seriously. Just the thought of Rose finding out was enough to send shivers down his spine.

"Why not?" asked James. "You should tell her you love her."

"I'm not in love," sighed Remus, "I mean, I think I fancy her, but it is too early to tell isn't it? I've only known her for a few weeks –"

"And you're already a sappy, blushing wolf pup," said Sirius, sounding amused.

Ignoring the interruption, Remus added, " – and it isn't like she knows, or feels the same way."

"She might," said Peter, shrugging. "How will you know if you don't tell her?"

Remus laughed hollowly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Wormtail," he said. "Of course she doesn't like me."

Sirius sighed loudly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you aren't _that_ bad looking, Remus," he said pointedly.

"And you're much nicer than us," added James.

"And you're smart," said Peter.

"But I'm not interesting, or funny," he said. Then, suddenly, he shook his head. "Why are we even having this conversation? I'm not going to tell her anything, and neither will any of you."

"What makes you so sure you won't?"

Remus pierced him with a steely glare.

"Do you remember what happened the last time you got on my bad side, Padfoot?"

Sirius frowned, but did not say anything.

"Oh, he remembers," chuckled James.

"Fine!" shrugged Sirius. "What's it to me if you'd rather mope around like a wounded wolf pup rather than snog the hottest bird in school?"

Remus sighed and rested his head back on his pillow. The idea that Rose would like him back was ludicrous. Sure, he had caught her staring at his lips. But that doesn't mean that she likes him, does it? He thought back to the study session, and barely suppressed a shiver at the way she had expressed her fear of werewolves. No, he could not possibly tell her how he feels. Not when she doesn't know what he is.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose sat alone in the Gryffindor common room that evening, trying to focus on her potions essay, but allowing her thoughts to wander to her time spent with Remus, when she was distracted by a hand that waved in front of her face.

"Rose! Are you listening to me?" said an amused Lily.

"Lily?" replied Rose, looking up from her textbook, "Sorry, I was just –"

"Day dreaming?" suggested Lily, as she sat down besides her. "I noticed."

"Where have you been? Mary was looking for you."

"I was studying in the library with Sev."

"Sev?" said Rose, confused, "Severus Snape? From Slytherin?"

"Yes."

Rose stared at Lily, unable to comprehend how someone so friendly could be friends with a boy known for his interest in the Dark Arts and who called muggleborns mudbloods.

"Since when were you friends with him?"

"Why are you so surprised?" asked Lily, raising an eyebrow, "I've known him since I was a child. He was the one who told me that I am a witch."

"But I've never seen you talking to him before?"

"I know," said Lily hesitantly, "I was angry at him because of something he said to my sister. We only made up a few days ago."

"Oh. But I don't understand why you are friends with him? His friends are creepy, and I know Mary _hates_ him."

"He isn't like this friends!" insisted Lily defensively. "You are right - they are creeps. He is very nice though."

Rose was not convinced that Snape was so nice - not after the stories Mary had told her - but she decided not to press the issue. Lily seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as she quickly changed the topic.

"Are you excited about your first Hogsmeade trip? It's in two weeks!"

"Yes," said Rose, and then, hesitantly, added, "I was thinking I might ask Remus if he wants to go together."

"You mean, on a date?"

"I suppose so? Astrid said a Ravenclaw boy asked her, and I thought it would be nice to go with Remus. Do you think he will be interested? I mean, we don't know each other very well and I'm scared he might say no," said Rose, biting her lip. She remember how awkward he had been when they had studied together.

"I think that's a good idea," Lily said kindly.

"I was hoping he might ask me first. I suppose I could drop hints that I'm interested? That way, if he doesn't like me, he can just make some excuse."

"Don't be silly - he likes you, I'm sure he does!" said Lily confidently.

The following morning Rose, Lily and Mary went down to breakfast together, and before Lily could protest, Mary sat down next to Sirius and the other fifth year boys. It was a fairly open secret that Mary fancied Sirius, and she never missed a chance to sit next to him, much to Lily's annoyance.

"Morning, all," said Mary, "Anyone notice the posters in the common room? Hogsmeade next weekend."

Rose suppressed a smile - she noticed the way Mary's eyes flickered hopefully in Sirius' direction.

"Excellent," said Sirius, looking completely oblivious, "We need to stock up on supplies from Zonkos."

"Don't forget Honeydukes," Mary replied, "I'm running low on chocolate."

"So, Lily," said James, while running his fingers through his hair, creating that windswept look typical of someone who had just dismounted a broomstick. Rose thought she knew what was coming - she had long learned to associate that act with James making a fool of himself by trying to get Lily to go out with him. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Sure enough, James had delivered. Rose wondered what tongue-in-cheek comment Lily was going to come up with this time.

"Sure," she said, smiling sweetly.

Rose choked on her cereal, Mary had to hit her back a few times. Sirius actually spilled his glass of milk and both Remus and Peter had their spoons held half way up to their mouths, which were hanging wide open. Rose fleetingly thought of how cute this made Remus look.

"You will?" asked James, his expression one of pure shock.

"Yes Potter, when pigs fly."

James' face fell. Sirius laughed, patting him on the back, saying, "Better luck next time, mate," and Rose and Mary had both broken out into a giggling fit. Rose thought Lily had been a bit mean, and apparently she felt that way too, because soon she was apologizing to James.

"Look, I'm Sorry, Potter," said Lily, sighing, "But it's starting to get really -"

James, his arrogance getting the better of him, cut her off.

"Like I care," he said.

Lily rolled her eyes, and continued with her breakfast. Rose thought this would be the perfect opportunity to drop a hint to Remus.

"So, will you lot go to Hogsmeade together or will you be taking dates?" she asked.

"Together," Sirius, James and Peter said immediately.

Rose noticed that Mary looked disappointed, however, she could not help but smile when she realised that Remus had not responded.

"Are you going with anyone, Rose?" asked Sirius suggestively.

"No," she said quickly. "I mean, no one has asked me yet. I wouldn't mind, though."

"Only because no one has had a chance yet," said James. "I expect you might even get more offers than Sirius."

Sirius snorted.

" _No one_ gets more offers than me," he said.

Rose laughed at Sirius before she turned to look at Remus. He was reading the newspaper while eating, but Rose noticed that his eyes weren't moving. She wondered if he was only pretending so he did not have to join in on the conversation.

"What about you, Remus?" she asked him, smiling tentatively.

He looked up in surprise at the mention of his name.

"Sorry?"

"Are you going to ask someone to Hogsmeade?" she asked.

"Oh," he said, "I haven't really thought about it..."

Rose tried not to feel too disappointed, and forced herself to keep smiling.

"Is there someone you might be interested in taking?" she asked.

Remus started blushing and Rose noticed his friends all wearing identical smirks. She started to feel anxious - did they know something that she did not? However, before anyone could say anything, they were paid a rather unexpected visit from Jacinta Fawley, joined by some of her friends, including, to Rose's surprise, Severus Snape.

Severus approached Lily, and, ignoring everyone else, leaned down next to her and whispered something in her ear. Lily frowned slightly, but nodded. Severus stood up again and Lily smiled at him. He stepped back a little, apparently oblivious to the curious looks he was receiving from the others, and the glare from James.

Rose, however, looked over at Jacinta, and asked, with as much fake politeness as she could muster, "Can we help you?"

"Yes, actually," said Jacinta, with a sickly sweet smile spreading across her lips.

Rose raised an eyebrow, though it was Lily who spoke next.

"What do you want?" She didn't bother pretending to be polite, as it was only yesterday that Jacinta had yet again called her a mudblood.

"Well," said Jacinta slowly, slipping her hands into her pocket, "Severus just taught us a spell, and we thought were might try it out."

Before anyone had the time to react, Jacinta pulled out her wand, pointed it straight at Rose and, in full view of all the students and teachers in the great hall, said, " _Levicorpus!_ "

Rose instantly felt herself being pulled up out of her chair, by the leg, and flung upside down. She screamed, as her robes fell down around her waist and exposed her legs. She quickly pulled her robes up, only just managing to prevent her underwear from showing.

Rose could hear her friends around her cry out in outrage. There were several audible gasps from around the Hall, but these were soon drowned out by the laughter from the Slytherin table. Rose even heard someone wolf whistle.

She felt the blood rushing to her head, as she cried, "Let me _down_ , you troll!"

"No, I don't think I will," said Jacinta smugly, as she shook from laughter.

Remus and James both pulled out their wands and tried to put her down. Lily and Mary stood up, trying to pull Rose down physically, but to no avail.

"Let her down!" said Remus angrily, but before she could even reply, Professor McGonagall had arrived at the scene.

"Enough!" she cried. With the flick of wand she set Rose down gently on the floor. Rose stood still for a moment, steadied by Lily, as she regained her balance. She saw that Jacinta still wore a smug expression on her face, and to her surprise, Severus too, was laughing.

"Miss Fawley! I would never have expected such a cowardly display –" but Professor McGonagall stopped abruptly.

Rose, her normally calm brown eyes burning with fury, had just flung herself at Jacinta, and, wand forgotten, slapped her across her face. Jacinta looked stunned, and to the surprise of the many onlookers, had developed a large red patch on her face in the perfect outline of Rose's hand. It was blistering before their very eyes. Jacinta did not realize this, but could feel the pain on her face that was unlike the pain of any slap she had ever felt before.

Rose swung her arm, ready to strike again, but was stopped mid swing. She looked around to see Severus holding onto her arm, his grip was strong, and painful. As he held her arm up high and still, everyone in the vicinity was clearly able to see the small flames enclosed within her hand.

"Let go!" demanded Rose angrily. She struggled a bit more, but it was not until Remus pushed Severus away that she managed to free herself from his grip.

"Enough!" said Professor McGonagall, her lips dangerously thin.

Rose put down her arm, closing her fist to allow the flames to extinguish, still shaking in fury.

Jacinta let out a loud moan, her hands clasping her face, feeling the blisters that continued to form on her mutilated face.

"Hospital wing, now, Miss Fawley. And detention this evening, my office, seven pm."

As the Slytherins left the grand hall, Professor McGonagall turned to Rose and Remus.

"I have never been so ashamed of Gryffindor students!" she said, her voice dangerously low, and yet it seemed to carry across the whole of the Great Hall, "Detention, both of you."

"But that isn't fair!" exclaimed James, "Fawley attacked first!"

"Enough, Mr Potter –"

"Remus was only defending –"

"Quiet, Mr Black, unless you want to join the rest in detention. I shall expect to see you both," she added, turning to Remus and Rose, "in my office, tonight, seven pm."

Rose, furious and humiliated, and oblivious that the whole student body, and all the teachers, were staring at her, grabbed her bag and stormed out of the great hall.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Feedback is appreciated, especially regarding characterisation.**


	6. Chapter 6

Rose spent the remainder of the day on the school grounds, hidden from the view of students passing to their herbology classes by thick trees and a well placed repelling charm. Upset by the morning's event, she had skipped all her classes, lunch and dinner. She was humiliated that she had been attacked in front of the whole school, and worried about the trouble she was in for causing serious burns to another student.

Above all, she had lost her temper, allowing her more primitive instincts to take over. She was worried about how everyone would react to the fire that flickered lightly in her palms. Her lips trembled as she realised that soon someone would guess just why she had reacted that way… what it meant about her, and her ancestry…

She closed her eyes, remembering the taunts that had so upset her in her childhood.

' _Freak! Filthy half-breed_ ,' they had called her.

As the daylight began to dwindle, Rose conjured a small mirror from her dormitory. Checking her appearance in it, she saw that she was a mess. Her hair had leaves in it, her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes were red and puffy. One of the main reasons she had hidden in the grounds was to spare herself the shame of crying in front of others. She couldn't stand the thought of showing such weakness in front of Jacinta.

After wiping away her tears, Rose put away her mirror and books (to curb her guilt for skipping class, she had tried to study while waiting for her detention), and made her way towards the castle and to Professor McGonagall's office. She wondered whether she would receive another detention for skipping class, and hoped that she wouldn't have to see Jacinta there.

Upon reaching the office, she knocked on Professor McGonagall's door and she entered the office cautiously, not knowing what to expect.

She saw Professor McGonagall standing by her desk. Jacinta was absent, but Remus was already there, Rose noticed with a slight jolt. He was sitting in a makeshift desk which faced the window, but his gaze was aimed directly at Rose. Rose wondered whether he was repulsed at all by what she had done.

"Good evening, Miss Wilson," said the Professor McGonagall. "You will spend the first half hour of your detention writing lines, and the next 2 hours doing homework. But first –" she ignited her fireplace and threw in a handful of white powder, causing the fire to burn emerald green, " – the headmaster would like to see you."

"Professor Dumbledore?" asked Rose, surprised. From the corner of her eye, she saw Remus raise an eyebrow.

"The very same. Please step into the fire, and say clearly: Professor Dumbledore's office," she replied.

Rose did as she was told, and a few rather dizzy moments later, she found herself stepping into the office of Albus Dumbledore. She had visited the room before, however the cascade of portraits and intricate silver devices that littered the room and the general sense of magnificence still left her awed.

Professor Dumbledore, who had stood up upon her arrival, smiled to her from behind his desk. Rose returned the smile awkwardly – part of her was relieved that his expression was soft, considering that she was in trouble. She felt rather intimidated by him - not that he was not nice, he certainly was and Rose liked him very much – however, his status as the greatest wizard of modern times left her feeling awestruck whenever she was in his presence.

"Good evening, Professor. I was sent here by Professor McGonagall, I'm not really sure…" she started.

"Yes, I called for you. Please take a seat," he said, indicating to the seat across his desk. Rose sat down, as did Professor Dumbledore. He reclined back in his chair, his blue eyes piercing into hers. It felt almost like he was looking into her soul. She felt uncomfortable, and looked away, pretending to be interested in his many instruments.

"I was hoping we would be able to have a word about this morning's events," he began. Rose looked back at him. His expression was perhaps more serious, though not stern. Not knowing what to say, she simply nodded.

"I understand that you would have been very upset by Miss Fawley's attack on you this morning. It was certainly uncalled for," he paused, leaning back in his chair, looking intently at Rose. "However, I was most interested in your reaction. As I said, your anger was rather understandable," at this Rose felt a slight blush appearing on her cheeks, "but it does not explain the injury Miss Jones sustained from your attack."

Rose held her breath, certain that he was about to reproach her for her uncontrolled outburst, tell that she was a danger to other students and expel her from Hogwarts. The fear must have shown on her face – her eyes certainly betrayed her, she felt tears slowing gathering in her eyes – for Professor Dumbledore said next,

"I do not wish to reproach you, far from it," he said, with a slight though warm smile. "I am merely curiously as to the rather advanced display of wandless magic you displayed this morning."

"I - I didn't mean to do it on purpose, sir," Rose said nervously. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"In that case, could you please explain what happened this morning? It was a curious incident, and I have never seen the likes of it."

"I lost my temper. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it," she said, almost pleading Professor Dumbledore to believe her, "But I didn't make the fire appear," she added, "It happens by itself when I'm very angry or upset."

The Headmaster nodded, staring at the wall behind her head. He appeared deep in thought. Rose wondered what his remarkable brain was thinking at that moment, whether he believed that she hadn't meant to burn Jacinta, but only to slap her.

"And, do you know why the fire appeared?" he asked.

Rose looked down but did not answer.

"I have a theory," he said when he realised she was not going to answer. "But it doesn't quite make sense. Would it be far-fetched of me to suggest that you might be part-veela?"

Her head snapped up and her teary eyes meet his astute gaze. She drew a sharp breath as she realised that her secret was exposed.

"No, Professor," she answered meekly. "It isn't far fetched."

"How fascinating. Please forgive me for being so direct, but you -"

"Don't look like a veela?" she said quickly. "I know I'm not very pretty - but it's very dilute now after so many generations."

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Actually, what I was going to say is that I have never known this to occur with veela. As far as I knew, they transform completely when angered, not partially."

"Yes," said Rose, nodding. "Usually, only the child of a veela can partially transform the way I do. The grandchildren and great grandchildren shouldn't be able to. My mum never has and her mum didn't either. I do, but I don't know why. I'm not supposed to. My mum thinks it's because I'm _very_ emotional."

"Fascinating, very fascinating indeed," he commented, nodding, smiling slightly. "As you can appreciate, part-veelas are _extremely_ rare, so I could find very little in the literature about your condition. Now, I was hoping you would be able to help me with a slight problem that has arisen in the hospital wing."

Rose was confused – how would she, an under-aged witch, be able to help?

"You see, our healer tried everything she could. Miss Fawley has been in pain all day – but nothing would could treat the burn on her face –"

"Oh!" cried Rose, "I'm _so_ sorry! I was so upset, I completely forgot."

And, to the surprise of Professor Dumbledore, she pulled up her sleeve and held out her arm, apparently expecting that Professor Dumbledore knew what to do.

His eyebrows slightly raised, he calmly said, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You need my b-blood," said Rose, slightly nervous about what was to come. "It has to be added to the healing potion. Any standard burns lotion will suffice, as long some blood is added. Otherwise her wound will take weeks to heal, and even then it will scar terribly. I'm so sorry - I should have remembered straight away, but it's been years since I hurt someone."

"I see," he said, this time with a rather serious expression. "May I?"

Rose nodded, allowing him to take her slender arm in his hand. His touch was gentle, warm, and, for someone of his age, rather firm. He drew his wand, conjured a small flask, and as he pointed the wand towards her arm, Rose cringed, looking away, awaiting the pain that she knew was about to come.

However, Dumbledore soon let go of her hand, she turned towards him, surprised to see the blood already collected – she had not felt a thing.

Dumbledore smiled at her shocked expression.

"I take it you expected more pain?"

"Yes!" she replied, confusion spread across her face. "It always hurt every other time I have done it!"

"If I may say so myself, my talent with the wand has allowed me to master spells in a way few others have."

Dumbledore took out a small piece of parchment, scribbled a quick note and attached it to the flask of blood. He stood up, and tied the letter and flask to his bird's leg, saying softly, "Take this to the hospital wing, please, Fawkes."

The bird swiftly complied, circled the room once and swooped out the open window.

"Professor?" she said tentatively.

"Yes, Miss Wilson?"

"I don't want anyone to know about my - my ancestry," she said.

He turned to face Rose, looked at her with his piercing eyes for a second time, and, as though he had read her mind, said, "I will not divulge your secret, but you will find that news travels fast at Hogwarts. I suspect rumours may had already started to circulate."

"Thank you, Professor," she began, but her voice betrayed her, it cracked with emotion. Her fear that she would not be accepted by her peers had finally caught up with her.

Dumbledore looked worried. "Would you like to share your thoughts, Miss Wilson? I am often told I am a good listener."

"I am just afraid," she started, pausing to draw breathe and allow her body to calm down, and she continued with a stronger voice, "I'm afraid that people won't accept me anymore. That they might think I am a… well, a freak."

She didn't know why, but something about Dumbledore made her trust him, something about him told her that he really would be able to comfort her, that he would take her fear seriously.

"I see before me a very talented and charming young witch, liked by many. Your transformation is something you will have to control, yes that is perhaps true, however it in no way makes you less human, or less worthy."

Rose smiled – it was exactly what she wanted to hear. And part of her, the part that spoke rationally, not emotionally, knew that he was right.

"Not to mention, if anyone did happen to call you that, I very much think it would be due to jealousy of your veela ancestry, more than anything else. Now, I think it is best that you return to your detention, or else Professor McGonagall will be after my blood for depriving her of her chance to discipline you," he added, eyes twinkling.

Rose stood up, making her leave, but before stepping into the emerald green fire, turned towards the Headmaster, and said, "Thank you, sir."

Moments later, Rose emerged from the green flickering flames into McGonagall's office, only to find her missing. To her surprise, she was now alone with Remus.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this update. Many thanks to those who have reviewed/followed/favorited this story.**

 **One point I would like to clarify here is that there is a reason that Rose is part-veela - I know it might seem a bit cliche but she isn't part-veela just for the sake of it. I made this choice because I want her to be able to relate to Remus and his 'furry little problem' - they both have this secret that they are ashamed off and which affects the way others treat them. This will become more important later in the story.**


	7. Chapter 7

He was sitting in the same place she had left him, but when he realized she had returned, he stood up and moved towards her. Rose didn't move from her spot in front of the flames. She could not move. She had not expected to be alone with Remus so soon, and was painfully aware that her eyelashes still sparkled from the last remaining drops of the tears she had just shed.

"Where is Professor McGonagall?" she asked timidly, to break the awkward silence.

"She was called to the Slytherin common room. Something about a major dung bomb explosion."

At any other time, this news would have been a cause for laughter, though neither Remus nor Rose so much as cracked a smile.

"Have you been crying?" he asked, frowning.

Rose said nothing, but she nodded, and as she did, she felt, against her will, a tear slide down her cheek.

Remus moved towards her, hugged her awkwardly, as though he was unsure if it was the right thing to do and then put his arm around her shoulders. Rose tensed initially at his touch, but quickly relaxed, allowing herself to take in his fresh scent, tears now rolling freely down her face. He steered her towards an armchair near Professor McGonagall's desk and sat besides her, his hands clasped in his lap.

"What happened? Did Dumbledore tell you off? Are you in trouble?" he asked.

Rose shook her head and quickly wiped away her tears.

"We were all so worried about you, when you didn't come to class, or lunch, or dinner. We looked everywhere for you. Lily was almost in tears."

"I'm sorry," began Rose, now feeling guilty. "I was on the grounds the whole day. I was ashamed of what I had done to Jacinta – I didn't mean to burn her – I would never mean to do anything that horrible! And I - I was afraid of the trouble I would be in, and of what everyone would think of me..."

Rose looked up at Remus and she realised how important it was that he understood.

"I didn't mean to do it, you know. I swear, I would _never_ \- but I lost my temper and I didn't realise what was happening. You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I believe you," he said quickly. He paused before hesitantly adding, "but I don't understand. How did you produce flames by accident? That's really advanced wandless magic, Rose."

Rose felt herself starting to panic; she had no idea what to tell him.

"I - I didn't - I mean, it was -"

She stopped, looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. She could not lie to Remus, but she could not tell him the truth either.

"There are rumours going around the school," he said hesitantly. "Rumours that would explain what happened."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. Horrified, she asked him, "What rumours?"

"Well," he said slowly, as though unsure whether he should be telling her, "apparently Jacinta's friend Agatha - you know her, I think, the chubby one with curly brown hair - overheard Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall saying that you might be a - a - well, a _part-veela_ , and _that's_ why you can produce flames like that."

Rose felt her hands shaking. They knew. They all knew. Her secret was out.

Remus was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to confirm or deny the rumours, but she couldn't say anything. She knew from the way his eyes widened in surprise that he took her silence as a confirmation.

"So it's true," he said, sounding awed. "Why didn't you tell anyone before?"

Rose sighed, her hands still trembling.

"You don't understand. I _hate_ being a part-veela. I'm - I'm not a real witch. I'm a half-breed. I'm a creature. I'm a freak."

Remus looked stunned.

"What? Why would you think you're a freak?" he said, looking confused. "There isn't anything wrong with being part-veela."

"Why wouldn't I?" she said miserably. "Other kids have called me a freak and a half-breed since I was a little girl. When I started at Hogwarts, I was so excited because no one here knew my ancestry and I thought I could keep it a secret. I guess I didn't count on my temper giving me away."

"Is that why you are crying?" he asked, sounding surprised. "Because you think you'll be bullied now that everyone knows you are part-veela?"

Rose nodded tearfully.

"Rose," he said, taking her hand in his. "We didn't know what happened this morning, but realising you are part-veela didn't matter to us. You are still the same Rose. I can't understand why you think it would make a difference. Sirius even thought it was pretty cool, being able to make flames without a wand."

Rose felt herself relaxing, and Remus, who still held her hand, noticed it too.

"What if the other students don't feel that way? I hate being different. I just want to be normal, like you, and everyone else," she said sadly.

She felt fresh tear stream down across her cheeks. Remus reached out, hesitated slightly, and then put his arm around her shoulders again. Rose felt herself blushing and, with a slight flutter in her stomach, allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder.

"We all have our secrets, Rose. Besides, you don't need to worry," he said softly, "from the gossip I heard, people seem to think it's exciting to have a part-veela at Hogwarts."

Rose smiled her first real smile since the morning. She was staring at the floor, though Remus was looking down at her, and, when she smiled, she had felt him relax beneath her, apparently relieved.

"And about Jacinta, we know you didn't mean it. What did Dumbledore say?" he asked, hesitantly.

"He guessed that I am part-veela," she continued, "and then he told me they couldn't heal Jacinta's burn. I explained they need to add my blood to the lotion. And then…"

Rose's voice trailed off, she didn't know whether she could stand to let Remus know she had cried before Professor Dumbledore too, however, she remembered that he had seen her tears when she entered, and so she continued,

"Then he noticed I was upset and I told him, what I just told you now. And he said, something like what you said…"

Remus gave her shoulders a squeeze, reassuring her that what he said was true. Rose wanted to thank him, he had relieved her so much – it was like a load had been lifted off her shoulders. She looked up at him, lifting her head up slightly from his shoulder, and then froze, all thought of thanks forgotten, when she realized her face was only inches from his.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked into his deep, brown eyes. She could hardly think. All she could do was look at him, aware of how close she was to him, how alone they were, and how his expression now seemed to be a mirror image of what she felt inside her.

She couldn't bring herself to move away, and so, she slowly moved closer. She was so close; she could have counted his every eyelash, had she not been immersed by the look of soft, aching longing in his eyes. She reacted to it, feeling a surge of courage run through her body, and without thinking, she leaned forward and let her lips brush his, softly. He froze, but to her delight, he did not move away, and before she could think about her next move, he kissed her back. And then -

 _BANG!_

The office door slammed open and the silent room almost shook with the noise as Professor McGonagall hurried in. Rose gasped, and quickly pulled herself away from Remus, who had almost jumped out of his seat in shock.

Professor McGonagall stared at them for a moment, wearing an expression half way between surprise and indignation, her lips dangerously thin. Rose felt the heat rising in the deadly silent room – or perhaps, it was just the blush that had burst across her cheeks, at the thought of having her first kiss interrupted by the sternest teacher at Hogwarts, and her head of house.

" _Must_ I remind you that this is a detention," she said, her tone disapproving, though, surprisingly, softer than it usually was when she told off students. Rose thought she must still look like she had been crying, and that she had felt some sympathy for her. McGonagall continued to lecture them on proper detention etiquette, though Rose struggled to suppress her smile as she allowed her thoughts to wander back to the student sitting besides her.

* * *

Rose left the detention at nine thirty that night, half an hour after Remus. He had been allowed to leave earlier because he arrived before Rose and because he did not have to see the headmaster.

Rose walked through the castle towards the Gryffindor tower – indeed she was almost skipping, her face glowing from the memories of her detention. Short lived though it was, it was her first kiss, and she couldn't think of a more worthy person to have shared the moment with.

However, beneath the bubble of happiness Rose could not help but feel anxious. She did not know if she would see Remus in the common room, and if she did, she was clueless as to what to say. They had made little eye contact during the detention once McGonagall had arrived, and since he left early, they weren't able to talk about what had happened.

Rose finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and, as she entered the common room, chanced a quick look around the room. Remus wasn't there, though Lily, Mary and the rest of the fifth year boys were seated around the fire.

Rose approached them from behind – they hadn't seen her yet. Lily was sitting in an arm chair, flicking through a book. Sirius, James, Peter and Mary sat on the floor, playing gobstones.

"Hello," said Rose, leaning on the back of the armchair Lily was resting in. Lily jumped up in surprise, the book falling from her hands, just missing James' head. She ignored his shout of surprise and turned to Rose.

"Rose!" she said, as she stood up and hugged her tightly, "We were so worried! Remus just told us everything, I can't believe you thought we would think you are a freak!"

Rose smiled, rather sheepishly. "I know, I guess I was being paranoid. Still, I reckon Jacinta is telling anyone who will listen how much of a freak I am."

"Who cares what she thinks," said Sirius from the floor. "And from what Remus said, she'll be fine."

"So are you going to teach us how to flame at the hand?" asked James. "Bet it would come in handy when you've lost your wand in a duel, wouldn't it Sirius?"

"Suppose so," he replied, "though I wouldn't fancy your chances… I could imagine you, acting tough, running your fingers through your hair, then your hair catches on fire because you had forgotten your hand was flaming."

Rose rolled her eyes and laughed as James started wrestling with Sirius. She was secretly elated at the way her friends were treating her secret - like it was no big deal.

"Where is Remus, anyway?" asked Rose, in what she hoped was a casual voice.

"He is in his dormitory," said Mary, "He told us what happened and then went straight up."

Sirius pushed James off, and looking up at Rose, asked,

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" he seemed, sounding concerned, "He seemed a bit distracted."

"And he didn't even laugh when we told him about the dung bomb we set of in the Slytherin common room," said James, as though he couldn't believe that a normal Remus would ever miss the chance to laugh as hard as possible at the prospect.

Rose desperately wanted to discuss Remus, though she realized he must not have told them about the kiss, and thought it was best not to appear too interested. Instead she pursued the topic of the dung bombs.

"Oh, that was you?" asked Rose.

"Yes, they did it to get McGonagall off your back for a bit," said Lily, trying, but failing to pretend she was not amused.

"Well, it definitely worked," said Rose happily, with a sparkle in her eyes that only Lily seemed to notice.

Rose gave her a meaningful look. She understood the hint and said,

"It's an early start tomorrow, I think we should go get ready for bed, Rose. You look exhausted," she said.

After saying good night to the others (Mary decided to stay back with Sirius), the two girls made their way up to their empty dormitory.

"So," said Lily, inquisitively, raising an eyebrow. "What aren't you telling me?"

"You know, when McGonagall left, to go to the Slytherins?" said Rose, finally allowing her excitement to take hold of her.

"Yes?"

"And she left Remus and me alone?"

"Yes…" said Lily, her curiosity mounting.

"Well…"

"Well what?"

" _We kissed!_ " exclaimed Rose, practically jumping when she said it.

"Really?" said Lily, clasping her hands to her mouth, her expression a cross between shock and excitement.

"Yes!"

"Oh Rose!" said Lily, now jumping up and down, and giving Rose such a strong hug that they fell over onto the bed behind Rose.

"No wonder he looked so dazed!" she said. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Rose started from the start, about how she had spent the day hidden on the grounds, to Professor Dumbledore wanting to see her, to her moment alone with Remus, up until Professor McGonagall interrupting their kiss.

"She came in?" said Lily, her eyes wide in astonishment. "She saw you kissing?"

"Yes! It was so embarrassing!' replied Rose. "And do you know what she said, when I left the detention?"

"What?"

"She said he was a good choice."

"No! McGonagall said that?"

"Yes! I was so shocked. She must really like him, to have said that. But never mind that. Lily, what do I do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, I kissed him, and he kissed back, so that means he is interested, right?"

"Of course he is. We've known it for ages," said Lily reassuringly.

"Right, so what do I say next time I see him?"

"Hmm…" said Lily, biting her lip, apparently thinking hard. "I don't know."

"I think, I should ask him out to Hogsmeade, right?" said Rose, more confidently than she felt. "I mean, that way, it will be more official, I guess. Because so far we only kissed, and we haven't even spoken a word since that. So, I don't know where we stand."

"I suppose you could, though wouldn't it be better if you let him ask you first?"

Later that night, as Rose lay awake in her bed, she could not help but wonder if Remus was thinking of her too.

* * *

 **Finally, their first kiss! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Rose arrived late to breakfast the next day. She had stayed up late the previous night, thinking about Remus, and as a result had slept in the following morning. She had been wondering how to best ask him out, how she should act around him in the meantime, and whether he would ask her first.

Rose entered the Great Hall as quietly and discreetly as she could, not wanting to draw attention to herself. It was the first time she had appeared in front of the school since she attacked Jacinta. As much as her friends had reassured her that no one would care much for her unique abilities, she was still apprehensive about how she would be received.

As she expected, as soon as she entered the hall, heads start turning her way, nudging and whispering to one another. As Rose walked past the Ravenclaw table, she caught a few lines of conversation:

" – look, it's her!"

"See, I told you she wasn't expelled –"

"So _cool_!"

" – apparently it's a veela thing –"

Rose tried to pretend she couldn't hear, or see the curious looks directed her way. When she finally made it to the Gryffindor table (with student's still looking at her), she took a seat to Lily's right, Remus sitting almost directly across her.

"Good morning," she said brightly.

"Well, if it isn't our _fiery_ friend," said Sirius, while the others simply replied good morning. Remus, she noticed, didn't look up at all, but had muttered a reply.

Rose rolled her eyes at Sirius, but managed a small laugh.

"Why are you so happy today?" said Sirius, raising an eyebrow. Rose noticed some fourth year girls staring at him with love sick expressions, though either he did not notice or (more likely) did not care.

"Why shouldn't I be?" she said happily. "Students are staring, though they don't seem too freaked out by the whole fire thing."

"Of course they aren't," said Mary, who was sitting next Lily. "They're just excited to have something to gossip about," she added, looking around the hall.

"Oh!" said Rose excitedly, suddenly remembering something. "Remus, you were right. That's exactly what you said would happened!"

Remus, startled at the mention of his name, finally looking up from his plate.

"I did?" he said dumbly, looking at Rose. Rose finally had a chance to look at him properly – her heart performing a slight leap at what she saw. He was as handsome as ever, his soft brown curls hanging lazily over his forehead. He looked tired, however. Rose wondered whether he was feeling sick.

"He did?" said James, looking confused. "When?"

"It was in the detention, he told me not to worry, that most students would only see it as good chance to gossip. Remember?" she asked Remus.

Remus nodded, smiling slightly, a small tinge of pink evident on his cheeks.

"Hold on," said Sirius, leaning forward and frowning slightly, "You were in detention, how did he manage to get a word in with McGonagall around?"

Rose frowned. Hadn't Remus told them anything?

"The dung bomb. She left for a bit," explained Rose, "I came back from Dumbledore's office and she wasn't there. Remus saw that I was a bit upset. He, er, comforted me a bit before she came back."

Rose wondered why Sirius and James looked so shocked. Even Peter, who never really talked much in front of the girls, was looking at Remus with interest. Remus, on the other hand, was looking very uncomfortable, a blush spreading across his cheek.

Lily was clearly as confused as she was.

"What's the big deal?" she asked.

Remus shrugged.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"But _Remus_!" said Sirius, giving him a pointed look. Rose had no idea what the look meant, though Remus apparently did.

He laughed, though Rose could tell he still felt uncomfortable.

"Look, I just forgot to mention it. I was dead tired last night. I didn't have a clue what was going on by the time McGonagall was done with me."

At that moment, Rose was certain that Remus had not told them about the kiss. She was starting to feel anxious - surely it was natural to share this kind of news with friends? She had immediately told Lily everything. Why hadn't Remus?

"Oh, yeh," said James, who was now smirking. "I'm sure she left you feeling very light-headed. They can have that kind of effect on the best of us," he added, winking at Remus.

Rose wondered fleetingly about the emphasis James had put on the word 'she'. Was he referring to McGonagall at all, or to Rose? His friends certainly seemed to have read deeper into the message than they were letting on, because Sirius snorted loudly, and Peter chuckled. Even Remus smiled sheepishly.

The boys then changed the subject, and embarked on a wild conversation about something that most apparently involved breaking multiple school rules.

Rose took the chance to have a private word with Lily. She leaned over and whispered to her, "They don't know."

Lily nodded, her eyes wide. She leaned in closer too, chancing a quick look at the boys to make sure they weren't being overheard and said, 'You're right, I don't think he told them. But that's strange, isn't? He kissed one of the prettiest girl in the school and he didn't even tell his best friends!"

"Oh, Lily. I'm not one of the prettiest, not by a long shot."

"Stop being modest, you're part-veela. Stop denying –"

She was cut off mid-sentence by a loud commotion from the Ravenclaw table. Rose, as well as every other person in the Great Hall, looked around to see what had happened. There was a large puff of smoke issuing from the Ravenclaw table.

"No, you can't!" cried a boy from within the smoke. Through the haze Rose recognized him as a fourth year.

"I can and I will!" shouted another fourth year, sitting next him. They both seemed oblivious to the fact that every eye in the hall was fixed on them. Rose looked up anxiously to the teachers table and saw that Professor McGonagall was still seated, looking very angry as she scanned the staff table - presumably searching for the head of Ravenclaw house.

The first boy jumped up and yelled, "I'll beat you to it!"

He jumped up from his seat and started running between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. The second boy jumped from his seat and chased after him.

Everyone watched as both boys ran, and Rose felt her mouth drop open as the first boy came to a stop directly in front of her.

"Rose, will you –" he began but he was cut off by the second boy, who was still running forward, wand raised.

" _Petrificus totalus_!" he cried.

The first boy fell to the ground, stiff as a board, as students around the hall gasped. Rose saw, from the corner of her eye, Professor McGonagall finally rising from her seat. Rose looked at the fallen boy, astonished, and only looked up when she realized the boy who had shot the hex had propped himself on the table right next to her.

He smiled at her, with what he obviously thought was his most charming smile, and asked –

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at the boy now sitting at the Gryffindor table. Finally, it was broken by Sirius who started laughing so hard that he was banging his fists on the table, tears in his eyes. The laughter was contagious – the silence was broken and almost everyone in the hall seemed to be laughing. Some gave soft chuckles, while others, like Sirius, were laughing hard, hanging on to their friends for support and wiping tears from their eyes.

Rose, however, was not laughing. She was simply staring at the boy in astonishment, lost for words.

He seemed to be getting nervous at her lack of reply, and his smile faltered. They were immediately joined by Professor McGonagall, however, and Rose was no longer obliged to reply. Shaking her head in disbelief, she looked past the boy and noticed the only person on the Gryffindor table, other than herself, who was not laughing.

Remus was looking down at his plate, stabbing his food carelessly with his fork. He looked uncomfortable. Rose was surprised, but thought that perhaps he was nervous about what she was going to say to the boy. That she might say yes to him. Or, perhaps, it was the secret knowledge of the kiss they had shared last night that made him feel nervous.

No one else seemed to notice this however, and Rose turned her attention to Professor McGonagall who had revived the fallen boy, and was now yelling at the two. Luckily for them, the hall was now noisy enough that no one other than those nearby could really hear.

"Well, Rose, congratulations!" said Sirius, "Even I haven't had girls fighting shamelessly over who gets to ask me out first!"

"I think we have a new record." added Mary. She was clearly enjoying herself.

Rose felt herself blushing.

"They're only interesting in me because they think I'm part-veela," she said miserably.

"But you _are_ part-veela," Sirius replied.

Before Rose could reply, Professor McGonagall intervened.

"Miss Wilson, may I have your attention for a moment? These young men have something to say to you."

Rose looked at the two boys expectantly. The one who had asked her out was avoiding her gaze, his cheeks flushed red.

"I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of the whole school, Rose."

"That's okay," said Rose quietly, who didn't know whether she should blush or smile.

"And you, Mr Sutherland?"

Rose now looked at the boy who have been hit by the body binding curse.

"I'm sor –" he began, but cut himself off mid-sentence when he looked up at Rose. "I'm so-sor –"

He paused, thought for a moment, and then said, "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Sutherland!" shouted McGonagall, as those listening started to laugh. Rose couldn't help herself, and let out an embarrassed giggle.

"Okay, Okay! I'm sorry!"

With that, McGonagall began to usher them away, but not without telling them off. They could clearly hear her saying, "20 points from Ravenclaw, each. Really now, targeting a poor young woman who is already partnered!"

Rose felt her insides freeze. For the second time that morning, she sat still, stunned at what she had just heard.

"Already partnered?" repeated Sirius.

"Since when?" demanded Mary, looking scandalized.

Rose panicked; she didn't know what to say. McGonagall had obviously been referring to the kiss she caught her and Remus engaged in. She chanced a quick look at Remus – his face slightly pinker than usual and he was avoiding looking at her.

"I, umm… well, I -" stuttered Rose, her head blank.

"Well?" pressed Mary.

Everyone was looking at her now. James, Sirius and Peter watched curiously. Lily watched, transfixed, and even Remus had looked up, his gaze fixed on her, his expression curious… almost unbelieving. Rose was immediately struck with a thought.

She cleared her throat, and said, "Well, I'm not technically partnered, but…"

Mary squeaked, "How exciting!" but Sirius cut in, asking, "Who is he?"

Lily raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you care, anyway, Black?"

Sirius held up his arms in defense, "I'm just curious! Although I reckon the lucky fellow might just have to watch his step. With anymore boys like those two running around, I don't much fancy his chances of making it through term alive."

"Who is it, Rose?" demanded Mary, she was besides herself with excitement.

Rose laughed nervously. "Look, there's nothing happening yet… at all." Rose took a deep breath, mustered all the courage she could to continue with her plan and, without looking at Remus, said, "I'm not sure how he feels about me, but, I really like him, and, er, well… I'll let you know if anything happens."

She said it. Her heart was racing, her face was warm, and now all she could do is hope that Remus took the hint.

Mary wasn't content. "But how does McGonagall know?" she persisted.

Rose stopped smiling at that question.

"Good question, Mary," added James, "How does she know, when we didn't even have a clue?"

If Rose hadn't been blushing before, she definitely was now. She had chanced another look at Remus, disguising it by pretending to be looking around at all the people listening in on the conversation. She noticed him grimace slightly when Mary had asked the question, however, other than that; he was pretending to be vaguely interested just like the others.

"She, er, well she… she kind of saw us… together."

"Together? Doing what?" asked Sirius, grinning mischievously. James chuckled.

"Just together!" said Rose defensively. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to class!"

Rose stood up, accompanied by Lily and Mary. As she turned to leave, she noticed, before she left, with a slight flutter of her stomach, that Remus was toying with his food again, looking, if possible, confused, hopeful, but sad all at the same time.

* * *

 **A/N - thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

By the time they had left the Great Hall, Mary could not stop laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Rose, raising an eyebrow.

"Didn't you see Jacinta?"

"No…" said Rose, smiling curiously, "What happened?"

"She was furious! Absolutely _furious_!" said Mary, delighted. "I've never seen her so annoyed. I think she must be jealous!"

"Well, it's not like I enjoyed it," she replied darkly. "That was so embarrassing. It probably doesn't help that I burned her face in front of the whole school just yesterday either, and that people don't seem to care."

"Never mind that!" exclaimed Mary. "Who have you been snogging? And more importantly, why wasn't I informed?"

Rose smiled sheepishly. She loved that Mary was so excited for her.

"It was Remus. We kissed yesterday in detention - and McGonagall walked in on us!"

"Remus? No way!" gasped Mary. "But why didn't he tell his friends?"

"Let's not worry about that right now," said Lily quickly, looking anxiously at Rose.

"You're right," Mary said, grinning broadly. "Who cares about that. So, Remus fancies Rose, huh? I knew it."

"What did you think of the hint I dropped to Remus?" Rose said her friends.

"That was brilliant," Lily said.

"Do you think he took the hint? I was indicating that I like him… and that I don't know how he feels about me."

"I'm pretty sure he got the hint. Who else could you have meant?"

"Yes," said Rose, starting to feel nervous. "But what if, you know, he doesn't feel the same?" she added, biting her lip in concern.

"I'm sure he does," said Mary reassuringly. "I've seen the way he looks at you. I've never seen him look at a girl like that before."

They were the first to arrive at charms class. Rose and Lily took their seats while Mary took a bathroom break. Rose suddenly remembered something that had been bothering her since yesterday.

"Lily," she said seriously. "You saw the way Severus acted yesterday, didn't you? He was laughing at what Jacinta did to me."

"I noticed that," said Lily, frowning, but then she smirked and added, "I think he was just happy for the chance to perve at your legs."

Rose cringed.

"That's horrible! He wasn't, was he?"

Lily sighed, "No, he wasn't. I'm just joking. But I noticed a lot of boys were staring pretty stupidly."

Rose realised that Lily was trying to change the topic, but she was not ready to drop the topic.

"Lily, I'm serious. It was mean of Severus to laugh. And he obviously knew what Jacinta was going to do and did not stop her," she said.

"I know. It wasn't like him to do that."

"How can you be so sure, Lily?" asked Rose hesitantly.

"Please, don't you start on me too, Rose!" said Lily, angrily. "I know Sev isn't perfect, but he isn't bad, either. I'll talk to him about what happened. You should join us for a potions study session. You'll see that he isn't so bad."

Rose noted that Lily was somewhat scary when she was angry. Rose didn't like the idea of having to spend any more time with Severus, but she didn't want to disappoint Lily, so she agreed.

"Thanks, Rose," Lily said, now smiling. "`Just give him a chance, that's all I'm asking. So, were you still planning to catch Remus alone today to ask him out?"

"Yes," said Rose. She had almost forgotten about her plan, "I was thinking I might try to catch him after double charms, we both have a free and his friends have class…"

"Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine," said Lily. Rose could only hope she was right.

* * *

Remus sat at the Gryffindor table, watching Rose leave the Great Hall. Sirius watched his friend carefully. He sighed heavily, and patted Remus on the back. Remus looked at him, surprised, the pain and confusion was still evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Moony," said Sirius solemnly. "Better luck next time."

"I wonder who it is though?" mused James. "She said she wasn't sure how he felt… maybe if we figure out who he is before Rose gets another chance to talk to him, we can convince him that she is not all that."

Remus smiled, a strained smile, almost as if he did it against his will, though he did not bother to correct his friends.

"And how do you suppose you are going to do that?" he asked in an amused voice.

"Slip him a love potion, maybe?" suggested Peter. "So he will like someone else?"

"Fiendish, Wormtail. I'm impressed," said James, nodding. "Sounds like a plan."

"Don't you go snooping around!" said Remus sharply.

"But Moony –" protested Sirius.

"Look, Padfoot, even if you can get this guy to forget about her, you can't stop her from liking him," Remus paused. He looked confused again, and slightly worried. He hesitated, and asked, "You don't suppose she really _does_ like him, do you?"

James looked at him with a kind of sad smile, "Sorry, Moony. She did sound pretty smitten. And they seem to have had some action going on already. Snogging, probably, and caught by McGonagall, too!"

Sirius snorted, "Amateurs."

Remus blushed ever so slightly. Peter and Sirius did not seem to notice, though James, who had been watching Remus closely, did.

"Best not to think about them snogging. Trust me, I know," he suggested. He sighed, "Months of rejection, you'd think a man would learn."

"Can't say I know the feeling, personally," said Sirius.

"Easy for you to say," said Peter dully. The mood seemed to be infectious. Both Peter and James were sulking, no doubt thinking about their less than adequate love lives.

"Will you lot cheer up?" said Sirius, exasperated. "What has gotten into you? They are just _girls_. Remus," Sirius paused, standing up, and looking down at his friend. "I'm going to find out who he is. Even if we can't break them up, we can at least pull a few hexes on him."

Remus did not argue. He bit his lower lip, as though fighting back a laugh. Sirius literally dragged him out of his seat and pulled him by the arms off to charms class.

* * *

Rose flicked her wand and muttered the incantation, but nothing happened. She was not surprised – with five minutes left to the end of their charms class, she was feeling much too nervous to concentrate on her work.

Sirius looked over at her from his desk.

"Not making much progress today, Rose?" he said smugly, his own pineapple successfully peeling itself then reverting back to its original form. "Looks like someone has her mind on something… or should I say, _someone_."

He winked at her, but Rose just rolled her eyes, shook her head and turned away from him. She was too nervous to come up with a smart remark, as she usually would when Sirius teased her. She turned to Lily instead, and whispered,

"Lily, I don't know if I can do this!"

"Calm down, Rose!" said Lily. She screwed up her face and cast the incantation, her wand pointed at her pineapple, which promptly started to peel itself.

"Just remember the plan. Catch him alone after class, be honest, tell him how you feel and ask him out. You reckon he might go to the library, right?"

"He usually does. But he might go to the common room. It will be quiet there, since most students will have class. I'll see if I can follow him once he leaves charms."

Rose paused for a moment, nervously biting her bottom lip.

"What if I can't get him alone?"

"Then you will just have to try another time."

Rose looked up at Remus. He was concentrating pretty hard on his pineapple. He was doing well – it was peeling itself, but not very neatly. Sirius muttered something to him, and Remus burst out in laughter and accidentally knocked his pineapple on to the floor. Rose watched as he leaned over to pick it up, still laughing. As he straightened up, he made eye contact with Rose, and saw that she was looking at him. His smile waned slightly, but he nodded to her politely, though nervously, and looked back to his friends.

Rose looked away, feeling embarrassed that he caught her looking at him. Then, much to her horror, Professor Flitwick announced that it was the end of the class. The students all started to pack up, and Rose felt a terrible knot forming in her stomach.

"Good luck, Rose," said Lily. "You'll be fine. You can tell me the good news over lunch. I'll be in the courtyard with Sev. Meet me there, okay?"

Rose nodded and Lily gave her a reassuring hug before she left to her next class. Rose looked over at the Remus. She heard James asking Remus where he was going to spend his break. Rose moved closer so that she could hear his reply.

"The library, I guess." he said, shrugging. Rose watched him carefully, ready to look away immediately if he turned his head towards her. She saw that he looked slightly worried about something. She wondered whether it had anything to do with her.

Rose followed the boys out of the classroom. She assumed Remus would walk with them until he had to part directions to go to the library. Not wanting he be seen following him, Rose slipped into a bathroom to check her appearance. After quickly running her fingers through her hair, she anxiously made her way to the library.

She took a deep breath, told herself to act more like a Gryffindor, and walked into the library. She looked around, allowing her eyes to take in the scene. She couldn't see Remus, and started to worry that he might not be there. She walked towards the back of the library, still searching, and she finally saw him. He was sitting at table in a rather secluded corner, alone. He was reclining back casually, his hands behind his head, gazing into space. His expression was hard to read, though Rose thought he seemed troubled. He was biting his lower lip, something that Rose had noticed he tended to do when he was in deep thought.

She stood back for a while, hidden by a book shelf, watching him. He didn't move. Rose allowed herself to take in his features. She loved the way a small, horizontal crease appeared between his eyebrows, as he frowned slightly every now and then. She watched his lip which he was softly biting, and was reminded of their kiss.

A moment later, Remus sighed, finally leaning forward for his bag and pulling out his books. Rose decided it was time to act. She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the bookshelf.

Remus hadn't noticed her, he was dipping his quill into his inkwell, eyes on his parchment.

"Hi, Remus," said Rose awkwardly, just loud enough to make her presence known.

Remus jumped at the sound of his name, his quill fell from his hand, spilling droplets of ink onto his parchment. He looked up at her, and, as their eyes meet, Rose saw his eyes widen with shock.

"May I join you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh - yes, of course."

Rose sat down awkwardly next to him, not sure how she should start the conversation, but, to her relief, it was Remus who spoke first.

"Are you feeling better about Jacinta attacking you?" he asked. He was trying to act casual, as if they hadn't just shared their first kiss the night before. She knew he was faking it - he was as nervous as she was.

"Yes," she said, smiling. "No one has been cruel to me - not yet, anyway. It seems I was worried for nothing."

Remus nodded, smiling. "I knew it would be fine."

Rose didn't know what to say, and so said nothing. The silence was awkward. Remus pretended to be interested in blotting off the ink drops from his parchment. She had only one thing on her mind, though. She felt like her heart might explode from how hard it was beating. It was now or never…

"Remus?" she said.

He looked up, expectantly. "Yes?" he asked.

"It's Hogsmeade this weekend," she said simply, smiling nervously, hoping he would catch on.

"Oh… this will be your first trip, won't it?"

Rose nodded, not saying anything. She moved a little closer towards Remus, until they were sitting side by side. Her heart was racing. Remus was frozen, not moving at all, but not looking directly at her either. Rose reached out, and took his hand in hers. She heard Remus sharply drawing breath as their skin touched. Her hands were trembling slightly, she looked up at him, but he was looking at his hand in hers, watching her fingers caress his own, his expression back to that of confusion.

"Would you like to accompany me to Hogsmeade?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "As a… a date?"

Rose felt his hand stiffen in hers. He looked up her, meeting her eyes. Rose watched him nervously as he watched her. His gaze was so intense, it made her blush.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he said, looking away from her, freeing his hand from hers. "No.."

Rose was stunned. She simply stared at him, her expression blank, not believing what she had just heard.

"No?" she repeated.

He simply shook his head, still not looking at her.

"But," she started, and she could now feel a lump forming in her throat, "Yesterday, you - you kissed me… I thought –"

Remus finally looked at her. He seemed upset.

"I didn't mean to - you caught me off guard and you were crying and I didn't know what else to do!" he said anxiously. "I'm so sorry Rose, you're a lovely girl but I just don't like you that way."

Rose watched him as he spoke these words, the tears finally welling up in her eyes, so that his sympathetic and apologetic face turned into nothing more than a blur. She blinked her eyes rapidly, turning away from him, trying to hide her tears. She didn't understand, she had been so sure…

"Rose, please don't cry," he said softly.

Rose couldn't look at him - she felt humiliated. She grabbed her bag, stood up, and without a second look, ran out of the library, away from Remus. She heard him calling her back, and recognized the panic in his voice. She didn't stop, she couldn't. She ignored the alarmed looks of students studying in the library, saw, for a split second, the satisfied smirk of Jacinta Fawley. But she didn't stop.

She ran all the way to the common room, and straight to her dormitory, glad there was no one present to see her cry.

* * *

 **A/N - Oh no, poor Rose. Thanks for reading! Reviews and feedback are very much appreciated. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Rose stared at her reflection, taking in her confused and desperate expression. An hour later, she still could not understand why Remus had rejected her. She had been shocked to learn that he had kissed her back out of surprise more than anything else. Could that even happen? Did people really kiss others out of surprise? Rose could not imagine herself doing so. But then, she had been crying at the time... she supposed Remus, being the kind-hearted person he was, would not have wanted to hurt her feelings.

Rose sighed deeply. It was lunchtime and she wanted to find Lily. She needed comfort. It was, after all, her first time being rejected, and that is was by a wizard who she had very strong feelings for only made the situation worse. She splashed her face with cold water to clear away the tears.

Rose made her way to the courtyard to find Lily. Fortunately, most students were now having lunch - this saved her the trouble of having to avoid anyone she knew. The courtyard was empty except for Lily and Severus Snape. Lily had her back towards her and Severus was facing her, though as he was flicking through a book, he hadn't seen her approaching.

"Hello," she muttered miserably as she sat down besides Lily on the courtyard floor. She was glad to see they had placed a blanket on the ground, and that it was surprisingly warm. She assumed they had placed a warming spell on it.

Lily gasped, and looked up at her friend. Severus did not speak, though raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Rose, you scared me! I wasn't expecting –" Lily cut herself off as she notice her glum expression. "What's wrong? Why have you been crying?"

"What do you think?" she replied, giving Lily a knowing look.

"No..." said Lily slowly, her bright green eyes wide with shock. "He didn't?"

Rose bit her lip, and felt the tears forming in her eyes again. She did not want to cry, not in front of Severus. She nodded her head, looking at the blanket, blinking her eyes rapidly in an attempt to control her tears.

Lily reached over and held Rose in a tight hug. Rose hugged her back and allowed herself to be comforted.

"I don't understand," Lily whispered. "I was so sure…"

Rose pulled away from Lily, wiping her tears away from her eyes.

"I know… I don't understand either. I – he…" Rose stopped and looked uncertainly at Severus. He was eyeing her with a certain interest. Rose remembered how he had laughed at her just the day before.

"I'm sorry, were you expecting me to leave?" he asked bluntly.

Rose glared at him. She did not want to send him off – after all, he had a study session with Lily and she was the one interrupting. She didn't mind speaking in front of him either, since Jacinta had already seen her crying, she suspected most of the school would soon have an idea that something had happened to her. Though Jacinta hadn't seen her with Remus, so, Rose thought, it would be okay if he stayed, as long as she did not mention his name.

"It depends – are you going to laugh at me?" she asked suspiciously.

Severus frowned slightly. "Why would I do that?"

"Hmm… let's see," said Rose sarcastically, "It couldn't have something to do with the way you laughed when Jacinta attacked me?"

Severus opened his mouth to retort, but upon seeing Lily's angry expression, he closed it again. He sighed, then said -

"Yes, well about that, I'm sorry… It was only meant to be a little fun… I realize that it was a horrible thing to do."

He spoke with a certain coolness, bordering on indifference. Rose questioned his sincerity. However, she saw that Lily was now smiling, and, not wanting to hurt her feelings, she nodded to Severus, indicating she had accepted his apology.

"So, I can stay?" he asked coolly.

"Yes. But Lily, please don't mention anything that might allow him to guess who it is."

"Of course. Now, what happened?" said Lily, looking at her friend in concern.

Rose explained what happened, leaving out the details that might allow Severus to guess that she was talking about Remus.

"And then I ran away, he called for me to come back, but I didn't. Jacinta saw me running - she was smirking. She can't have known what had happened, but she only needed to check the place I had ran away from to see R – I mean, see him there to figure out what had happened…"

Rose felt her heart racing. She had almost let slip that it was Remus who had rejected her. She did not want Severus to know this piece of information, not just yet. The two boys did not get along well, after all.

"Forget about her," said Lily reassuringly. "I just can't believe he rejected you… it doesn't make any sense. He obviously likes you."

"Or we must have read the signs wrong…" suggested Rose.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Severus, not sounding very sorry at all. "But, am I to understand, that you asked out someone, and he rejected you?"

"Yes," said Rose, surprised at his tone. "Why do you sound so disbelieving?"

"Well," he said, smirking slightly, though not in an unfriendly way, "It seems unusual that someone would say no to you, of all people, when others are literally fighting for the chance to ask you out, as we saw this morning."

Rose felt herself blushing. She was not used to boys talking about her in that way, especially not creepy Slytherins like Severus.

"So, what are you suggesting, Sev? Why did you mention that you found it strange?" asked Lily.

"Well, you both thought that he liked her, and from what Rose said, he kissed her –"

"Yes, but I already said –" started Rose.

"I know. But I don't buy it," interrupted Severus. "You and Lily both believe that he likes you, right? So he probably does. There must be another reason why he rejected you."

Rose was startled by this viewpoint, though not as startled as she was at the thought that Severus was actually trying to help her decipher her love-life. It seemed like her world had turned upside down – the person she thought was interested in her rejected her, now the wizard who had openly laughed at her was helping her. Perhaps, she had been too hard on him. He was being nice to her now, after all.

Rose turned to look at Lily, frowning slightly. "What do you think? Could he be hiding something?"

"No," she replied, after a moment's thought, "It doesn't make sense. What could he have to hide? If he liked you, he would have said so. What could make him say no even though he didn't mean it? Unless he was already seeing someone, but I know for a fact that he isn't."

"Maybe he does like you but said no because he has a good friend who likes you too? Is he a Hufflepuff? They can be stupidly loyal."

Lily frowned.

"You know, that does seem like the kind of thing he would do - but no, I'm pretty sure his friends definitely don't like Rose."

Rose actually smiled at the thought of James, Sirius or Peter liking her - it was a ridiculous thought.

"No, they definitely don't. I guess, he really just doesn't like me…" she said sadly.

She felt a lump forming in her throat again. It must have shown on her face, because Lily patted her on her back again.

"Oh, Rose. I know it must be hard… but, it will be alright. How about I hex him for you, next time I see him?"

Rose laughed meekly, "No, he might not like me but I still like him, you know… I wouldn't want to see him hurt."

"There are plenty of other guys who will have you, you know. Why don't you try someone else?" suggest Severus.

Rose stared at him in shock. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"

"I suppose you think because I'm part veela, I'll just happily move from one guy to the next?" she said angrily.

"Rose!" said Lily, looking scandalised. "I'm sure he didn't mean it that way!"

Severus looked taken back.

"I wasn't implying that," he said. He sounded genuinely apologetic this time, and Rose felt embarrassed by her outburst.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "People tend to say those kind of things about part-veela. I thought you - well, never mind. I guess being rejected has left me feeling a little touchy. You know the feeling, right?"

He looked away from Rose, his eyes moved towards Lily, lingered there for a split second, and then moved to study the outline of the castle. His face was expressionless, and he shrugged noncommittally. Lily was suddenly busily packing away her books, and avoided making eye contact with either of them.

Rose stared at them both carefully. She had a feeling she was missing something, but she was not sure what.

Rose did not see Remus again that day, partly because she did not have any more classes with him, and partly because she refused to have dinner in the Great Hall, for fear of seeing him. Instead, she sat alone in the empty courtyard. Lily was not happy that Rose was skipping dinner, but had reluctantly allowed her to borrow her warm blanket.

Rose, who was starting to feel very hungry, was quietly contemplating whether she shouldn't have just gone to dinner when she noticed Sirius enter the courtyard. He tucked a large piece of parchment into his pocket before walking towards her. Rose was anxious that Remus might follow him, but he appeared to be alone.

"Hi, Rose," he said, and without asking, he sat on the blanket besides her.

"Hello. Why aren't you at dinner?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged indifferently.

"I'm not hungry. Why aren't you at dinner?" he asked. He seemed to be watching her carefully, and terrible thought occurred to her. Had Remus sent Sirius to make sure she was okay?

She shrugged back casually.

"I'm not hungry either," she replied, just as her stomach rumbled loudly. She felt herself blushing while Sirius smirked.

"I'm not stupid, you know. You're upset about something."

"How incredibly perceptive of you," she replied. She wondered just how much Remus had told him. To her surprise Sirius stood up, and then offered his hand to Rose to help her up. She looked up at him in confusion.

"Come on," he said, surprisingly gently. "The Great Hall isn't to only place to find food at Hogwarts."

Rose hesitated before accepting his hand. She ignored her gut instinct that told her not to trust him - she was curious that he might have a message from Remus for her and besides, she was very hungry.

Rose tucked the blanket away in her schoolbag and followed Sirius across the courtyard and into the school. She looked around anxiously but there was no one there. To her surprise, Sirius started walking in the direction of the entrance hall. He noticed her anxious expression and sighed rather loudly.

"Will you calm down? I'm not leading you into a trap, but we need to pass through the entrance hall."

Rose nodded and followed him. Fortunately, the entrance hall was empty except for one girl who she recognized as a Ravenclaw fourth year. She smiled flirtatiously at Sirius, but when she noticed Rose walking behind him, glared at her and stalked of into the Great Hall.

Rose looked inquisitively at Sirius.

"Another member of your fan club?" she asked.

"Eloise Pritchett," he said, grinning brazenly. "The latest recruit from Ravenclaw. She's only recently taken an interest in me."

"And are you interested in her?"

Sirius laughed as he lead them down a corridor that Rose suspected lead to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Oh, no, not at all," he replied. "She isn't my type. She's too nice."

"What do you mean? How can someone be too nice?" asked Rose, frowning in confusion.

"She's too nice," he repeated. "You know - she's a nice girl. The kind of girl who expects flowers and chocolates and candles, holding hands and romance and commitment."

"So what's wrong with that?"

Sirius sighed and looked at Rose with a pitying expression.

"You are _such_ a nice girl, Rose. You really don't get it, do you? I'm not interested in those things."

"But then what are you interested in?" she started to ask slowly, and then she finally realised what he meant. "You're interested in snogging? You don't want an emotional relationship, just a physical one?"

Sirius grinned.

"Snogging, amongst other things. That's not to say that the girls I date aren't nice - they are, just in a different way."

Rose blushed as she involuntarily imagined Sirius doing 'other things' with a different girl every other week. She quickly shook the thought away as she remembered Mary and her infatuation with Sirius. She wondered if she knew that Sirius felt this way.

"So what about Mary?" Rose asked, watching Sirius careful. She noticed his grin slowly fade away.

"What about her?"

"Well, she obviously likes you," Rose said pointedly. "And you obviously know that. But you always act like you two are just friends."

"Mary is a nice girl," he said quietly, before he looked away from her and quickened his pace. He clearly did not want to talk about Mary, and Rose could not help but wonder why. He had no problem talking about Eloise Pritchett and his fan club, but apparently, Mary was different.

Suddenly, Sirius stopped in front of a large portrait of a fruit bowl and raised his arm and ticked a pear. Rose felt her jaw drop with it turned into a handle and Sirius opened the portrait, revealing what must clearly be the Hogwarts kitchen.

Sirius indicated for her to enter, and she did, looking around the large room in awe. He followed behind her and closed the door. They sat down at a nearby table and Rose actually gasped when she noticed a little creature approach them.

"Is that a house elf?" she asked in awe.

"His name is Rooky," Sirius said, before turning to him and saying, "Two servings of dinner, please."

"Yes, sir!" the house elf squeaked before rushing off and returning only seconds later with two trays covered in food. He set the food down before them before he scurried away.

"I thought you weren't hungry?" Rose said, as she joined Sirius in sampling the soup.

"I lied," he said simply. "I was looking for you. You weren't yourself in class this afternoon and you didn't come to lunch or dinner. Is everything okay?"

When Rose did not say anything, Sirius continued.

"I was wondering if this had anything to do with that boy you were interested in?"

Had Rose not been so shocked by the implications of what Sirius had just said, she would have laughed at his lack of tact. As it were, she was too busy wondering whether Sirius was acting ignorant on purpose, or whether he truly did not know what had happened. Her surprise must have shown on her face, because he soon raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What?"

"Are you serious? Don't you know?"

"Of course I'm always Sirius," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching as he suppressed a smile. "And no, I don't know. How would I?"

"You really don't know what happened?"

"No."

He spoke his with such sincerity that Rose was forced to believe him. She did not say anything. She didn't know what to say. Why hadn't Remus told him, Sirius, one of his best friends? After almost a minutes silence, Sirius asked,

"So, what happened?"

Rose hesitated, and then said, "I asked him to go Hogsmeade with me. He said no," Rose paused and looked down at her plate, embarrassed to look at Sirius. "He said he only kissed me because I had made the first move and I was crying and he did not know what else to do," she added sadly.

"Oh. I'm sorry Rose," he said softly. Rose looked up and was surprised to see he seemed genuine. "Who is he, anyway? I wouldn't mind hitting him with a good hex or two. That isn't the kind of thing you say to a girl, unless you really wanted her to stop liking you."

"I don't think you would want to do that, not if you knew who it was," she said.

"I'm not scared of him!" he said defensively.

"No, but you're not the kind of person who would hex your friends."

"What?" said Sirius slowly, looking confused. "The only friends I wouldn't hex are James, Remus and Peter."

Rose nodded, wondering how much longer it would take Sirius to figure it out.

"Exactly."

Sirius stared at her dumbfounded.

"You don't mean…?"

"Remus," she said bitterly. "It was Remus."

Sirius was stunned into silence. Rose had never seen him look so shocked.

"Remus? _Our_ Remus?" he said.

"I'm surprise he didn't tell you," she said, "You boys seem very close. I expected him to tell you the same day I kissed him… that was yesterday, in detention with McGonagall – "

"You kissed _Remus_?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes - but said that he doesn't like me that way, that I'm a nice -" Rose stopped a horrible thought occurred to her. "He said I'm a _nice_ girl," she said, sounding horrified. "Does that mean - I mean, he doesn't want a nice girl? He just wants to snog and do other - other things?"

Sirius finally stopped looking shocked and actually snorted.

"Remus is a nice boy, Rose. He likes nice girls."

"But then - where are you going?" Rose asked, startled, as Sirius abruptly stood up.

"To talk to Remus," he said, and he walked swiftly towards the door without a second look.

"Sirius, come back! What are you going to do? Sirius!" she called, jumping up from her seat, though by the time she reached the portrait hole, he was already out of sight.

* * *

 **AN - sorry this chapter took so long! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.**


	11. Chapter 11

Remus Lupin was eating his dinner in silence and nodding occasionally when Peter or James addressed him, though his friends suspected that he scarcely heard a word they spoke, given that he had nodded when Peter asked him if would ever consider swimming naked with the Giant Squid in the middle of winter. He had hidden his distress from the morning's encounter rather well, a skill he attained after years of hiding his lycanthropy. Though he seemed disinterested, his friends assumed that he was simply too tired to be involved.

Sirius stormed into the Great Hall, slamming open the doors and marching his way over to the Gryffindor table, not acknowledging anyone who spoke to him. It was rather peculiar behavior, and as such had roused the attention of a sizable number of students.

The students watched, some looking curious, others downright excited, as Sirius approached his three friends. Remus, deep in thought, had not noticed his friend at all, though James and Peter were looking at Sirius with worried expressions.

"What –" started James.

Sirius grabbed Remus by his shoulders. He jumped in surprise as Sirius literally dragged him out of his seat.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed a bewildered Remus.

Sirius did not answer; instead he looked over his shoulder as he dragged Remus out of the hall and called to James and Peter, "Coming?"

The two stood up immediately, dinner forgotten, looking rather perplexed, though they followed Sirius and Remus out of the hall.

Sirius did not speak until they had entered an empty classroom opposite the Great Hall.

Remus was finally able to straighten up, and as he did, he looked at Sirius with a mixed expression of annoyance and confusion.

"What the hell was that about?" he demanded as he rubbed his arm. He had gripped him so tightly he thought he might develop a bruise.

"Padfoot, what's going on?" asked James, looking concerned.

"Maybe," started Sirius, glaring at Remus, "dear Moony would care to explain. I don't understand it myself, you see."

"Understand what?" said James, bewildered, as Remus looked at Sirius with understanding slowly dawning upon his face.

"Well, you see, Prongs. It is funny, really," started Sirius, though he did not look amused at all. "There I was, interrogating a rather depressed looking Rose –" Remus visibly cringed at the mention of her name " – making sure to be considerate but at the same time trying to get information about who her mystery man might be, when Rose suggests that I already know. Strange, I thought, how would I known? Apparently she asked him out, but he rejected her. Apparently he never meant to kiss her."

Sirius paused, his eyes locked on Remus. Remus looked back at him, looking worried, and his skin slightly paler than usual. James and Peter looked back between the two, still very confused.

Remus sighed. "I suppose you are annoyed that I didn't tell you myself?" he asked, dejected.

"As a matter of fact, yes," replied Sirius, and his annoyance seemed to dwindle and was joined by an expression of concern. "How could you not tell us? We're your friends, Moony. We know your biggest secret, but you didn't trust us with this?"

"What are you saying?" interrupted Peter. "He already knew who the guy was, and didn't tell us?"

"Are you going to tell them, Remus, or shall I?" asked Sirius.

James and Peter looked at Remus intently.

Remus resigned to his assigned task and said miserably, "It was me. She kissed me. She asked me to Hogsmeade this morning. I said no."

"She kissed you?" cried Peter, while James exclaimed, "Are you mad?"

"Why didn't you tell us, Remus?" pressed Sirius.

"Tell you what?" he muttered, "That she kissed me yesterday in detention? That I kissed her back and was caught by McGonagall? Or that she cornered me in the library this morning after charms and asked me to go Hogsmeade with her, and then ran away in _tears_ when I said no."

"Yes, that, Remus! That is exactly what you should have told us!" exclaimed Sirius, throwing up his arms in frustration. "Now, we have two important issues here, one, why didn't you tell us, and two, you are bloody infatuated with the girl, why did you reject her?"

"I'd like to know that too, Remus," said James, looking at him intently. Peter nodded in agreement.

Remus turned away from them all, his expression pained. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered.

Sirius grabbed him by the shoulders again, this time gently, and guided him to a chair.

Remus obliged, allowing himself to sit down. He sighed again.

"Fine. _However_ ," he stressed, "You must promise to respect my choice," he said, looking directly at each boy in turn.

"No," said Sirius stubbornly, while James and Peter simply looked uncertain.

"Sirius!"

"Just tell us."

"I don't deserve her," said Remus gloomily, looking away from his friends and staring at the blank wall ahead of him. "She doesn't know what I am - if she did she would _never_ want to be involved with me."

Remus did not even show any recognition that he had heard his friends cry out in outrage.

"Rubbish!"

"You _are_ mad."

"She won't, Moony!"

Ignoring them completely, he continued.

"What good is it, allowing myself to get involved now, pretending it will all end nicely? She will find out sooner or later, and she will regret the day she ever let herself care for me. She deserves someone normal, someone who can make her happy."

A stunned silence following his bitter pronouncement.

"Remus…" said James, shaking his head, "What are you saying? She won't care about your furry little problem. We didn't care."

"Do you have any idea how many people I thought would not care? When they find out, they can't even look at me anymore."

"She isn't some slimy Slytherin, she is part-veela herself, she probably would be able to understand what it's like to be different," added Peter.

"Oh yes," said Remus sarcastically, "It must be so difficult, being pretty! She doesn't even look like a veela - she looks completely normal."

"But –"

"Look, don't push it. I know you mean well, but this is something I decided a long time ago. I won't go out with a girl who doesn't know what I am. I'm not going to mess around with girls like that. They deserve better."

"Rose deserves the right to choose too, Remus," said James, sounding uncharacteristically gentle.

"And you aren't exactly making her happy now, the girl was almost in tears when I left her!" said Sirius, "She likes you Remus, you being a werewolf won't change that!"

"It hasn't exactly been a walk in the park for me either – you know how much I like her. Rose kissed me - it was completely surreal. But I can't let it happen again, even though I want to, more than anything else. Give it a few weeks, she will get over it, and it will all be for the better."

None of the boys seemed convinced.

"She might get over if she thinks you don't like her, but you won't get over her," said James.

"You're right," Remus said sadly. "And that's my problem to deal with, not hers."

He stood up and walked out the classroom. No one tried to stop him.

* * *

Rose did not sleep well that night. Lily had explained the situation to Mary at dinner and the three girls had spent hours discussing multiple theories about why Remus had rejected her.

"But he obviously likes you!" Mary had said. She favoured the idea that Peter also had a crush on Rose and that must be why Remus was pretending not to like her.

"I mean, James fancies Lily so it can't be him. And I haven't seen anything to suggest that Sirius has feelings for you. Have you, Lily?" Mary asked uncertainly. Rose could see she looked worried at the prospect.

"No, I really doubt he does," Lily said reassuringly.

"Definitely not!" Rose said quickly.

Looking reassured, Mary continued her speculation.

"Peter makes the most sense - he is always so shy around girls that it would be easy not notice that he likes you."

Rose was not convinced and her sleep that night was interrupted by the image of Remus saying no to her over and over again.

The following morning, Rose made her way down to the Great Hall with Lily and Mary by her side. They had refused to allow her to skip breakfast.

"No, absolutely not! You can't avoid him forever," Lily insisted. "Besides, you need to eat. Just act normal. Look at James. I've rejected him so many times and he doesn't let that affect him."

When the pair entered the Great Hall, it was to Rose's great relief to see that Remus was not there yet. They deliberately choose seats in a crowded part of the table – they knew Remus would sit with his friends when they arrived, and since the four of them would not fit, they would have to sit somewhere else.

In fact, she was so comforted by this thought, and so engrossed in her breakfast (she had eaten very little yesterday) that she did not even noticed Remus enter the hall with his friends, until Mary nudged her rather painfully.

"Ouch! What was that -"

Rose immediately fell silent when she noticed that Remus was walking past them with James and Peter. James said hello to Lily (who ignored him) though Remus, looking rather embarrassed, did not look at them at all.

"Well that was awkward," Mary said once the boys were out of earshot. "He is too shy to even look at you."

Rose poked at her breakfast miserably.

"I've completely ruined our friendship. I'm such an idiot," she mumbled.

"Don't be ridiculous, Rose," said Lily gently. "He just needs time to get used to the situation. He'll be fine soon. And don't you dare start moping again. I'm going to watch you until you finish that whole plate."

Rose knew that Lily was not joking and forced herself to continue her breakfast. Lily was right, of course. She usually was. There was no use going hungry.

"I wonder why Sirius is talking to Eloise Pritchett?" Mary asked worriedly.

Rose looked up and noticed Sirius and Eloise standing by the Ravenclaw table. She looked like she was flirting though Sirius was smirking. She could not hear what they were saying but as Sirius walked away from her, she heard him reply to her.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Eloise looked at him furiously but Sirius, who had his back turned to her, did not notice. Instead, his eyes found Rose as he walked towards where his friends were seated.

"Alright, Rose?" he asked her, winking rather suggestively as he too walked past them.

Rose could not help but blush. She strongly suspected that he was trying to annoy Eloise and sure enough when she looked at the Ravenclaw table, the fourth year was glaring at her.

"What was that about?" Mary asked, looking from Rose to Sirius and back with a curious though strained expression.

"I think he teasing me about Remus," Rose lied. She did not think Mary would be happy to know that Sirius was pretending to flirt with her to annoy other girls.

"Oh, okay," Mary said, though she did not look convinced and continued her breakfast in silence. Rose thought she should say something, though as she was trying to think of something reassuring to say, something curious caught her eye. Jacinta was at the Ravenclaw table, talking to Eloise. Eloise was talking animatedly - she seemed very annoyed about something, and Jacinta was nodding along encouraging. Rose felt uneasy, wondering if their conversation had anything to do with Sirius. She shook her head and told herself she was being paranoid. Why would Jacinta be interested in Sirius?

* * *

"What are you still doing in here?"

Rose gasped, dropping her quill in shock. She looked up at the stern librarian who was standing next to her. She was alone in the library, studying for the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz.

"S-sorry?" stuttered Rose.

"Curfew starts in ten minutes. Out, now!" she snapped.

Rose did not need to be told twice. She quickly packed up her belongings as the librarian continued her search for other students.

"Mr Black! Out, NOW!" the librarian shouted a moment later.

Rose looked up and saw Sirius step out from behind a nearby shelf. She looked at him curiously.

"I didn't know you study," she said.

"I don't," he replied, as they walked out of the library together. "Why are you here alone? Don't you normally study in the common room with Lily and Mary?"

"They were working on the charms essay. I needed to study for the Defense quiz. It isn't my best subject," she said uneasily. She did not mention that she was avoiding the common room in case Remus was in there.

"Oh. You know who is really good at Defense Against the Dark Arts? Remus. You should ask him to help you, er, study," he said.

Rose blushed. She knew the teasing from Sirius was inevitable, but she found the whole situation rather embarrassing.

"I don't need help. Besides, I'm sure he's too busy to bother -"

"Nonsense, he is always wasting time helping people with things," he replied. "Don't you _want_ to spend some time alone with him?"

"Sirius!" Rose said, now blushing furiously. "Remus isn't interested in me - he made that perfectly clear and I don't see the point of shamelessly throwing myself - did you hear that?" she asked, stopping suddenly.

"Hear what?"

"I think I heard someone laugh. A boy," she said frowning, looking up and down the empty corridor.

"I didn't hear anything," Sirius said, looking amused.

"I could have sworn…" she let her thought trail off. She was sure the laugh sounded just like James Potter, but why would he be following them? Besides, there was nowhere for him to hide. "Never mind."

"So. You were saying something about shamelessly throwing yourself at Remus?" Sirius asked as they continued walking towards the common room.

"No - I said I was not going to shamelessly throw myself at him! Sirius please - I've already ruined our friendship by being a complete idiot. I convinced myself that he was interested in me because that is what I wanted to believe. I misread all the signs and now Remus can't even look at me any more!"

Sirius looked startled at her outburst. She immediately regretted sharing this information with Sirius. She bit her lip, waiting anxiously for him to say something, but he did not. They walked in silence until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"You're not an idiot," he said, suddenly, catching Rose off guard.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You're not an idiot. You did what you thought was the right thing to do and it didn't work out but that doesn't mean that your friendship with Remus is ruined."

"But he won't even look at me anymore," she said sadly.

"That's because he is ashamed that he hurt you," he said seriously. "He was really upset when you started crying. Remus doesn't like hurting people, especially not his friends. He is a bit soft, really. He probably should have been in Hufflepuff."

Rose smiled at the thought, but she remained anxious.

"So do you think if I just pretend that he didn't hurt me too badly, things can go back to normal?"

"Pretend?" Sirius asked, frowning. "Rose, just how upset were you?"

Rose did not reply, and Sirius seemed to understand. To her surprise, he put his arm around her shoulders in an awkward one-armed hug.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You shouldn't have to pretend."

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything -"

She was cut off when the portrait suddenly swung open.

"Mary, get back here _now_!" Lily demanded.

"No! Curfew already started and they still aren't back -" Mary stopped suddenly when she saw Sirius and Rose standing in the corridor. Her jaw dropped as Rose quickly stepped away from Sirius, and he pulled his arm away from her.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Mary shrieked, loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the common room. "You and him, all this time - I thought -"

"Mary, please, you don't understand -" Rose started, but she was immediately cut off.

"Eloise was convinced - I didn't believe her! I said she was being stupid -"

"Eloise? What does she -"

"She saw you together! In the Hufflepuff corridor! I can't believe you let us think you fancy Remus and this whole time you - you were _sleeping with Sirius!_ " Mary yelled.

"Mary, no, no, I would never!" Rose cried frantically.

"Don't lie to me, I'm not an idiot! I thought you were my _friend_ , you - you - you _whore_!" Mary snapped, before turning around and storming up to her dormitory. A stunned silence descended upon the common room. Rose watched after Mary in shock, not even noticing that everyone was staring at her. She was in tears as she turned to look at Lily, who was staring at her uncomfortably.

"You don't believe her, do you Lily?" she asked desperately. Lily looked uncertainly at her and Sirius as though she was unsure what to believe.

"We'll talk later," she said, and she hurried off after Mary.

Rose, who finally realised that over thirty Gryffindor students were staring at her, was shaking uncontrollably. She could feel her palms heating up, ready to erupt in flames and she struggled to suppress it. Not knowing what else to do, she turned around and walked away from the common room, ignoring Sirius' call for her to come back.

* * *

 **AN - and the drama begins! Poor Rose! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Rose, come back!" Sirius called, but she ignored him. He swore loudly and slammed shut the portrait hole, glaring at the students in the common room as he did so.

"Remus, take that stupid cloak off," he demanded.

It was James, not Remus, who reach out and pulled off the cloak. A rat jumped down off his shoulder, but before it reached the ground, it had transformed into Peter Pettigrew.

Remus stared blankly at Sirius. He looked unusually pale.

"Remus," Sirius pleaded softly. "You know I would never - not when I know how you feel about her. Besides, she is infatuated with _you_ , not me."

This confession was followed by a long and awkward silence as Remus continued to stare at his friend. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

"I trust you, Sirius," he said finally, shaking his head. "I can't believe Mary would think…"

"She's jealous," said James darkly. "She fancies Sirius and being out alone with Rose after curfew does look pretty suspicious."

"Remus _asked_ me to make sure she was okay - I didn't really care either way," Sirius replied, scowling.

"We know that," Peter pointed out. "No else does."

At that moment, the portrait of the Fat Lady flew open, startling the boys. Lily stepped out, looking stricken. She seemed surprised to see Remus, James and Peter there with Sirius.

"Where did you lot come from? And where is Rose?"

"She walked off," said Sirius.

"She walked off? And you just let her? It's after curfew!" exclaimed Lily, looking furious.

"Well maybe if your stupid friend hadn't just humiliated her in front of -" started James.

"Don't you dare call Mary stupid!" snapped Lily, glaring at James.

"How can you defend her after what she just did?" he replied, clearly annoyed.

"I'm not defending her," Lily said quickly, looking from one boy to the next until her eyes landed on Sirius. "She shouldn't have called Rose that word. But even I have to admit it did look pretty suspicious. Sirius?"

"You should know better than that, Evans," Sirius scoffed. "You _know_ I don't go for girls like Rose. You _know_ that Rose is infatuated with Remus -", at this Remus turned bright red, "- and you know that Eloise is a jealous gossip!"

"Then why were you together after curfew?" Lily asked uncertainly.

Sirius hesitated before looking at Remus.

"Because of me," Remus admitted, looking bleakly at Lily. "I was worried - I wanted Sirius to make sure she was okay."

Lily looked at Sirius, who was nodding along to Remus' explanation.

"Well, in that case," she said, and she turned angrily towards Remus. "The next time you lead a girl on and then break her heart, talk to her yourself!"

Remus looked ashamed. He knew he deserved to be told off. He had been too much of a coward to talk to Rose himself, and now the whole situation had gotten out of control.

"Now, get inside, all of you!" Lily said, pointing at the portrait hole.

"Don't tell us what to do, Evans," said James stubbornly, standing firmly in his spot, but he gave in when he saw the expression of Remus' face. "Oh, fine."

The common room was unusually noisy as the students discussed the latest gossip. This seemed to push Sirius over the edge.

"Oi!" Sirius shouted over the noise. The common room instantly fell silent. "Anyone - and I mean anyone - caught repeating these rumours will suffer a most unfortunate fate," he said, before turning to Lily and adding scathingly, "And you can tell MacDonald to sod off. I can sleep with who ever I want. I don't have to answer to her."

Lily looked rather offended, though before she could retort, Sirius stormed off to the boys dormitory. The other boys followed him, though Remus stayed behind.

"I'm sorry, he's just a bit - well, you know how Sirius can be," Remus said apologetically as he leaned against the wall.

"Hot tempered? Arrogant? Entitled?" Lily suggested, still fuming. "Mary isn't angry at _him_ \- she is angry because she thinks her friend betrayed her! He is so full of himself!"

"I know that," said Remus reassuring. "Sirius knows it too. He is just annoyed that Mary created a scandal about him and know that he is very secretive about his private life."

At the mention of Rose, Lily's fury seemed to extinguish.

"I'm worried about her. She looked devastated. Mary really was horrible to her," she said. She bit her lip. "I should probably go and look for her."

"I know you want to, but you can't," he said. "She could be anywhere and it's after curfew. She'll come back when she is ready."

Lily nodded.

"She was so excited about Hogsmeade tomorrow, and now I won't be able to go with her," she said sadly. "You know what Mary is like. She is so insecure - I can't leave her at a time like this. I suppose she could go alone, but that's just horrible… unless..." she said, looking at Remus curiously. "Unless you go with her?"

"Me?" he said, looking startled. "I'm not interested in her that way."

"Don't lie to me, Remus Lupin," said Lily sharply. "I _know_ you fancy her. Besides, I didn't mean as a date. I mean as friends. Maybe Potter or Pettigrew can invite her so she doesn't get the wrong idea? I'm sure she will have fun with you."

"Well," he replied uncertainly. The prospect of spending the day with Rose both thrilled and horrified him. "I'll think about it."

"Please do. Good night, Remus."

"Good night, Lily."

Ignoring the curious stares of the students, Remus made his way up to the boys dormitory. Not wanting to talk to anyone, he took the Marauders Map from James and pulled his curtains closed around his bed. He quickly spotted Rose in a nearby classroom. He stared at her name until she returned to her dormitory hours later.

* * *

Rose woke up the next morning to an empty dormitory. The other girls had already gone down to breakfast. Rose had hoped that Lily would wait for her but she knew it was wishful thinking - Lily and Mary had been best friends since first year, whereas she had only known the girls for two months. Still, she had hoped that she would have a chance to explain herself to Lily before they left for Hogsmeade, but that seemed unlikely now.

Rose was so excited to explore the village but the prospect of going alone was too depressing. She also did not want to go down to breakfast, not if there was a chance that Mary was there. She was still furious at the way her friend had insulted her.

So, she decided that her best option was to sneak out of the common room and have breakfast in the kitchens. This plan did not last very long, for when she entered the common room, she was surprised to see that someone was already there.

She blushed furiously when she saw Remus was standing at the bottom of the girls staircase. They were the only two people in the common room: it was obvious that he was waiting for her.

"Hi, Rose," he said uncertainly when he saw her.

"Oh, hello, Remus," she said. "Er, why aren't you at breakfast?"

"I was waiting for you. I need to talk to you," he said, before taking a deep breath, as though bracing himself, and continuing. "I - I think I owe you an apology."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize," said Rose quickly. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have gotten so upset."

"No, it was definitely my fault, and I'm very sorry. Do you think we can still be friends?" Remus asked, looking at her hopefully.

"I would like that," Rose said, smiling shyly. His face lit up in a broad smile at those words.

"Thank you," he said happily. "Are you by going down to breakfast?"

It was a simple question but it wiped the smile of her face. She suddenly realised that she had no idea if he knew about what Mary did.

"You're worried about what Mary said yesterday, aren't you?" he asked shrewdly, as though he read her mind.

"You heard about that?" she asked, too embarrassed to look at him. "You don't believe it too, do you?"

"Certainly not. Unfortunately, I have the rather dubious privilege of knowing everyone who Sirius has even been with, or has ambitions to be with. You'll be glad to know you aren't on either list."

Rose could not help but smile as she looked up at Remus.

"I'm not ready to see Mary, not after what she said about me," she admitted hesitantly.

"You are going to Hogsmeade though, aren't you?"

"Well…" she started uncertainly. "I'm not sure. I don't really want to go alone."

"Oh," said Remus. He paused for a moment before saying rather quickly. "Do you want to go with us? As friends, of course?"

"Go with you?" she repeated. "Are - are you sure? Won't your friends mind?"

"No, of course they won't."

She thought about it carefully - it was not a good idea to be seen with Sirius given the rumours Eloise was spreading, but the opportunity to spend a day in Hogsmeade with Remus - as friends - was too exciting to miss.

"You're _sure_ you want me to tag along?"

"Of course I am," said Remus, looking amused.

"Okay. Okay, I'll go," she said, unable to suppress a smile. "Where are James, Sirius and Peter? Did they go down to breakfast already?"

"No, they had a bit of a sleep in. They should be down any minute."

As though on cue, Sirius appeared at the bottom of the stairs to the boys dormitory, followed closely by James and Peter. Sirius and James both smiled gleefully when they saw Rose and Remus standing together.

"Oh, I hope we aren't interrupting anything?" Sirius said, not bothering to hide his smirk.

"Would you two like some privacy?" James said innocently, while Peter winked at Remus.

Rose felt her face heating up and she knew she was blushing again. Maybe this was not such a good idea afterall…

"Actually we were just getting ready to leave to Hogsmeade," Remus clarified calmly. "I've invited Rose to come along with us."

"Oh, this should be fun," muttered Sirius, still smirking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," James replied, too quickly for her liking.

Rose looked uncertainly at Remus but he smiled at her encouragingly.

"Come on," Remus said, "Let's go. Breakfast at the three broomsticks today. James is paying."

"Is that some kind of traditional?" Rose asked as they made their way out of the common room.

"No. I lost a bet," James replied with a grimace.

As they walked through the castle, Sirius pulled Rose away from the group.

"Can I have a word with you?" Sirius asked as they trailed behind the others.

"This is about what Mary said, isn't it?"

"I assume you haven't spoken to her yet?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "She was gone this morning before I had a chance. Lily too."

"Don't worry about Lily. I explained everything to her. Mary in the other hand… she should know better than to believe rumours about her friends. Especially from Eloise Pritchett. That girl is one of the dumbest Ravenclaws I have ever meet."

"You don't think the rumours have spread around the school, have they?" Rose asked anxiously.

"If they hadn't before, they definitely have now. You can thank Mary for that. Her outburst will be the talk of the school," he replied, scowling darkly.

It was not until they reached Hogsmeade that the extent of the rumours became apparent. Rose hardly had a chance to appreciate how beautiful the village was before she noticed students were staring at her, Sirius and, to her confusion, Remus.

Sirius, who had noticed this too, grabbed a Hufflepuff boy who looked to be in his third year by the robes. The boy had been openly gawking at her.

"What are you staring at?" Sirius said threateningly.

"N-nothing!" the boy stuttered as his little friends watched on in fear.

"You'll tell me why you are staring if you know what's good for you," Sirius growled.

"Sirius!" said Remus sharply.

"Stay out of this, Remus," he snapped.

"I - I heard that you and Lupin weren't friends anymore," the boy stuttered, too afraid to look Sirius into the eye.

"And why aren't we friends anymore?"

"Because - because - because -"

Sirius glared at the boy.

"Because you slept with Rose Wilson when she was already sleeping with Lupin!" the boy said quickly, flinching as though he expected Sirius to hit him.

Rose felt as though she were punched in the gut. She felt herself trembling uncontrollably. People thought she was sleeping with Sirius _and_ Remus?

"Who did you hear that from?"

"I don't know! Everyone is talking about it!" the boy cried.

"Get out of my sight," Sirius said as he pushed the boy away. The boy did not need to be told twice - he and his friends ran off without looking back once.

Rose did not know what to do. She could not look at any of the boys - especially not Remus. She was still trembling when she realised that she could not continue into Hogsmeade.

"I need to go back to the castle," she said as clearly as she could manage. She surprised that her voice was reasonably stable.

"Rose, just ignore -" started Sirius.

"I can't! How can I face the school when everyone thinks I'm sleeping with you _and_ Remus?" she said, now sounding almost hysterical.

"Rose."

She drew in a sharp breath when she realised Remus had addressed her. Reluctantly, she looked at him. He looked at her grimly.

"I know you are upset. But you have to understand that the best way to put a stop to these rumours is to just act normal. If students see that the three of us are all friends, they will realise on their own that the rumours aren't true," he said. Rose was amazed at how calm he was.

She closed her and took a deep breath. She knew Remus was right. Hiding will only fuel the rumours.

"Okay," she said softly. "I'll try."

"Excellent!" James said happily, immediately defusing the tension. "Where do you want to go first?"

"The Three Broomsticks! You owe us breakfast," Peter said, clapping in excitement.

James groaned dramatically and lead the way through the village. Rose was amazed at how quickly the four boys had recovered. They were loud and boisterous, laughing and teasing each other as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Rose found that it was much easier to ignore the staring students when she focused on the boys conversation. They even made an effort to include her, which she appreciated.

"That's Honeydukes - they have the best sweets," Remus said. "Their chocolate is unbelievable."

"Remus is the leading authority on chocolate," said Peter proudly.

"And that's Zonko's - you won't find better joke products anywhere," Remus continued, ignoring Peter.

"That's where Remus buys his love potions," said Sirius in a staged whisper.

"And you'll want to visit the post office - they have an amazing owl collection," said Remus, giving no indication that he heard Sirius.

"That's where Remus goes to write to his multiple lovers," exclaimed James.

"Here we are - The Three Broomsticks," said Remus, as he opened the door for Rose. She entered, and Remus followed after her, closing the door behind him before his friends could follow.

"I'm sorry about them. They can be foolish, but they mean well," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I do not use love potions, and I most certainly do _not_ have lovers, multiple or otherwise."

"It was a little funny," she said, smiling apologetically, as the others forced their way through the door (Remus had tried and failed to hold it closed).

The boys sat down at a table in an isolated corner of the bar. Rose hesitated awkwardly. She had two choices - she could sit next to either Remus or Sirius. She was too embarrassed to sit next to Remus, but she was afraid that sitting next to Sirius would fuel the rumours.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" James asked, looking confused.

Rose quickly tried to sit down next to Sirius, but he pushed her away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, bewildered.

"I like to spread out," he replied. "You'll have to sit next to Remus."

He wore a sickly sweet smile that Rose did not buy for a minute, and she reluctantly sat down next to Remus, glaring at Sirius as she did so.

"What's wrong?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Is there a reason you don't want to sit next to Remus?"

"Sirius," said Remus warningly. Rose felt a rush of gratitude to Remus, but was too embarrassed to look at him.

"Yes, dear Remus?" said Sirius.

Remus did not reply, but gave him a look that plainly said don't-be-stupid.

"Oh, _come_ on," he said, sounding exasperated, "You don't expect us to act like nothing happened, do you?"

"You know what Sirius, I think they might…" mocked James.

Fortunately for Rose, Peter's stomach grumbled loudly at that exact moment. The boys thought this was hilarious and were soon too busy ordering food to tease her.

"This is delicious," Rose commented when the food finally arrived.

"Yes, especially because James is paying," said Peter as he scoffed down his waffles.

After breakfast, they spent the morning touring the village. Peter was right - Remus certainly was an expert on chocolate. He pointed out all the tastiest flavours to Rose and he walked out of Honeydukes with a large bag full of assorted chocolate blocks, which he shared with her as they continued through the village. James and Sirius spent a small fortune on items from Zonko's (she thought better than to ask them what they were for), and she wrote a short letter to her parents from the Post Office, which she sent off with a beautiful snowy owl.

"Where to next?" asked Peter.

"I heard that there is a haunted house in the village," Rose replied, as she accepted another piece of chocolate from Remus (mint flavour). "I wouldn't mind having a look."

To her surprise, the boys seemed uneasy with her suggestion.

"Do you mean the Shrieking Shack?" asked James.

"Is that what it's called? It sounds dreadful," Rose replied. "Do you know where it is?"

"Yes," said Sirius, though he looked uncertainly at Remus. She noticed that Remus looked uncomfortable.

"I don't understand," she said, looking from one boy to the next. "Is something wrong? Don't you want to go there?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong," Remus said quickly. "It's just that, um, it's a - it's -"

"It's a popular make out spot," said Peter.

Everyone stared at him.

"You probably shouldn't go there today, if anyone sees you there with Sirius and Remus, they might get the wrong idea," he said, nodding seriously.

"Oh," said Rose, blushing slightly. "Maybe next time, then?"

"Why don't we head back to the Three Broomsticks?" Remus suggested. "We can have some butterbeer then head back up to the castle. We have that Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz to study for."

"I don't need to study for that," Sirius scoffed, but he agreed that butterbeer was a good idea. The Three Broomsticks was more busy than it had been that morning and they only just managed to find an empty table. This time, Rose sat down first and to her relief, Remus did not sit down next to her. Instead, she was seated between Sirius and Peter. James and Remus had gone to order drinks for the group.

"I can't believe these idiots are still staring at us," Sirius sneered.

"It isn't as bad as before," Rose replied as she poured herself a glass of water. "I think people are starting to realise the rumours aren't true," she added hopefully.

"Probably," he said, not sounding too convinced.

"Hey, isn't that Mary?" said Peter suddenly.

Rose looked up and followed his gaze. She could not believe what she was seeing. Mary was sitting at a booth at the back of the room with Eloise Pritchett and _Jacinta Fawley_. They were so involved in their hushed conversation that they did not seem to notice that Rose and Sirius were there.

Sirius frowned.

"Peter, go see what you can find out," he ordered.

Peter immediately stood up and, to her surprise, walked into the mens toilets.

"Where did he go?" Rose asked, confused.

"Nevermind," he replied tensely.

Rose watched the toilets for a moment, as though expecting Peter to come out, but he did not. She raised the glass of water to her mouth, still watching the toilets, when suddenly, her glass exploded in her hands, sending water and glass flying everywhere. Rose screamed in shock and Sirius swore loudly. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were covered in blood.

"Wh - what happened?" she stuttered.

"Your glass exploded," said Sirius, looking dumbfounded.

Rose looked up and saw that Remus and James had hurried back to the table. Remus grabbed her arms and looked at her hands.

"You need to go to the hospital wing."

"But – I don't understand. What happened?" she repeated meekly.

"That isn't important now, you're losing a lot of blood – those cuts are deep," Remus said urgently. "Come on, we need to go."

* * *

 **AN - many thanks to everyone who has read/favourited/followed/reveiwed. Much appreciated!**


	13. Chapter 13

Remus lead Rose to the hospital wing in a hurry. Neither of them said a word: Rose was too shocked to speak, and Remus kept glancing at her anxiously.

By the time they reached the hospital wing, she was feeling faint. Remus had wrapped her hands in his scarf - it had completely soaked through.

She waited at the entrance while Remus rushed inside to call Madam Pomfrey.

"You're Rose Wilson, aren't you?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she ushered Rose to a nearby bed.

"Yes," said Rose, her voice trembling. The pain in her hand had become unbearable.

"What happened?"

"She was drinking water and her glass exploded," said Remus, frowning. "I think someone hexed it."

"Dear me," she muttered as she examined her hands. "So much glass."

"You will be able to fix them, won't you, Madam Pomfrey?" Rose asked anxiously.

"Certainly, though it won't be easy," she said briskly. "Now, I need you to sit very still while I remove the glass. Put your hand out on the towel here - a little higher - good girl."

It was slow and tedious work - magically removing each pieces of glass one by one. Rose winced a number of times – the glass did not come out easily.

"Ouch!" she cried, as Madam Pomfrey removed a deeply rooted piece of glass. Rose felt tears stinging her eyes, though she blinked them away rapidly. She did not want to cry, not while Remus was watching so intently.

"Almost done, now dear," muttered the healer, and a moment later, her hands were glass free, though still bleeding.

Madam Pomfrey disappeared for a moment into her office to retrieve a healing lotion.

"Does it hurt, Rose?" asked Remus softly.

"Not as much as before," she murmured, trying to be brave.

"Madam Pomfrey will set it right soon, just give it a few more minutes," he said reassuringly.

Madam Pomfrey returned, and a few moments later, her hands looked as good as new, though felt rather tender. She was not allowed to leave the hospital wing just yet, however.

"No," said Madam Pomfrey sternly, when Rose tried to get out of bed, "You've lost too much blood. I want you to take this potion," – she forced it into her hands – "and rest here until you've had your dinner, at least."

Rose drank the rather unpleasant potion, thanked Madam Pomfrey, and sat back down on the bed. The healer left for her office after making sure that Rose was resting properly.

She finally had a chance to look at Remus properly. She saw that his robes were spotted with blood, his hair was disheveled and he looked unusually pale.

"Thanks for helping me," said Rose, suddenly feeling shy.

"It's no problem," he replied with a kind smile. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, just a little tired," she replied, barely stifling a yawn. Though she was deeply touched by the concern Remus was showing, it confused her. He was so caring that Rose had to constantly remind herself that he was not interested in her, that he was just her friend…

"Good," he said before he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms against his chest, frowning deeply. "Did you manage to see who attacked you?"

Rose shook her head. She thought she knew who had hurt her, though she did not want to say so in front of Remus.

"You should get some rest. You've been through a lot. I'll let the boys know you are okay," he said as he stood up.

"Bye. And thanks again," said Rose, smiling weakly, sad to see him leave.

Remus smiled back, and turned to leave. As soon as he had closed the door behind him, Rose let out a low sigh.

"Why does he have to be so perfect?" she lamented.

* * *

Rose was lost in thought when the doors to the infirmary opened and James stepped in. She was not sure what surprised her more - that he was here alone, or that he was here at all.

"James?" she said, as he walked up to her. "What are you doing here?"

He stopped by her side and shrugged, casually looking around the hospital wing.

"I just thought I'd see how you're doing."

Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

"And you were hoping that Lily would be here too, right?"

"Well, that too," he replied, grinning sheepishly. "But don't tell her I said that. How are your hands?"

"Fine. Madam Pomfrey set them right in no time. She won't let me leave until after dinner, though. She said I lost a lot of blood. Remus wrapped my hands in his scarf, and it was completely soaked in blood."

"Speaking of Remus. I hope you aren't upset about what Sirius said today. I know he can be a complete prat sometimes, but he means well."

"Oh," said Rose, feeling uncomfortably. "I know he wasn't trying to be mean, but it's a bit soon, isn't it? I really want to be friends with Remus, but it's hard with Sirius constantly teasing me. Especially now that there are rumours that Remus and I, well, you know..." she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

"I know," James said, grinning. "I can tell him to stop, if you like," he offered. "I don't think he will listen, mind you, but I can try."

"Thank you," said Rose, smiling at James. She was not used to seeing him act so maturely. "You know, you can be really thoughtful when you want to. You should let Lily see this side of you more often."

James grimaced.

"Merlin, you sound just like Remus. No wonder you fancy him. On some level, I know you're right, but it's like I just can't be normal when she is around. But that's not important right now," he said, his expression suddenly serious. "I have news about the attack. Peter saw who did it."

"It was Jacinta, wasn't it?" Rose asked quickly. "I knew it, I saw -"

"No," James said sharply, cutting her off.

"Not Jacinta?" Rose replied, confused. "But then who?"

"It was Mary. Peter saw her."

" _Mary_?" Rose exclaimed in disbelief. "No, no you're wrong. Peter can't have - Mary is my friend. I know she's mad right now, but she wouldn't, she would never physically hurt me - would she?" she asked hesitantly.

James looked like he pitied her.

"Well, she did. If it makes you feel better, Peter said that Mary looked shocked at how badly you were injured. I don't think she _meant_ to cause that much damage - she probably just wanted to embarrass you in front of Sirius. Remus was furious when he found out. He reported Mary to McGonagall."

" _Remus_ _reported Mary_? But they're friends!" Rose asked, surprised. "He - he was really kind to me today. I mean, he invited me to Hogsmeade with you all and he bought me all the way up here after I got injured…" she said uncertainly.

"He's a prefect," replied James quickly, as though he knew what she was hinting at. "He takes his duty very seriously."

"Oh," said Rose quietly. "His duty. Of course."

They sat in silence for a moment, as Rose tried, and failed miserably, to convince herself not to ask James about Remus.

"James? I was wondering, well, if you knew, I mean…"

"What is it?"

Rose said, quickly, before she could change her mind, "Does Remus like someone else? Is that why he didn't want to go out with me?"

James looks surprised. Rose felt herself blushing. James stared at her intently and Rose thought he almost looked like he felt sorry for her.

"No, he doesn't like someone _else_ ," said James finally.

Rose visibly relaxed, and she could not help but smile.

"You're sure?" she asked, happily.

"Very sure," said James, smiling at Rose's excitement.

"You won't tell Remus I asked, will you?"

James shrugged.

"He already knows how you feel about him, he didn't really expect that to change in a few days, even if you two are just friends now."

"But you won't tell him?"

"I can't promise anything," said James, not bothering to mask his smirk.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Fine, just don't make a big fuss out of it, okay?"

"We'll see," he said.

Rose privately thought that she should have known better than to trust James to keep her secret, but a part of her could not seem to care. Remus did not like someone else, and that meant she still had a chance.

* * *

Rose, who was feeling very tired, eventually dozed off when James left. However, when she awoke, she was pleasantly surprised to see she had a visitor sitting by her bed.

"Lily!" she said, as she tried to sit up.

"Hi, Rose," Lily said gently. "Please, don't sit up, you need your rest. Remus told me what happened. I'm so sorry. I can't believe Mary would do something like this."

"Jealousy brings out the worst in people. You - you don't believe the rumours too, do you?" she asked uncertainly. "Apparently I'm sleeping with Sirius _and_ Remus."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I don't," she replied. "Anyone who knows you thinks its rubbish. Well, everyone except Mary."

"And everyone who doesn't knows me believes it, because I'm a part-veela and that's exactly how people expect me to act!" Rose exclaimed angrily. She felt hot tears forming in her eyes. She had been suppressing her emotions all day - this was the first chance she had to talk about what had happened.

"Rose, no. It isn't like that," Lily said, looking startled at her friend's outburst.

"I'm not an idiot, Lily. People see veela as vicious dark creatures who seduce men to do their bidding and they think part-veela are the same, but we _aren't_."

Rose hastily wiped away a stray tear.

"If only they knew I've only just had my first kiss, and that Remus only kissed me back because he felt sorry for me!"

"Oh, Rose," Lily sighed, patting her gently on the arm. "If it's any consolation, Mary and Eloise were both given detention by Professor McGonagall. Mary for hexing you, and Eloise for starting the rumours."

"What about Jacinta?" Rose asked, frowning, her tears now under control.

"Jacinta? What does she have to do with this?" Lily asked, confused.

"I'm pretty sure she started it all - she saw me run out of the library when I asked Remus out. I think she went to see who I was talking too - why else would the rumours be about both Remus and Sirius? Besides, I saw her talking to Eloise right before the rumours started and the three of them were all sitting together when Mary hexed me."

"That does make a lot of sense - Jacinta _hates_ you, and I wouldn't put it past her to convince Eloise that Sirius fancies you. It wouldn't have taken much to get the rumours started, especially given Sirius' reputation with girls. Not to mention, he literally dragged Remus out of the Great Hall at dinner the other day. Mind you, Sirius doesn't seem to bothered, but poor Remus was so embarrassed when he spoke to me."

"Really? What did he tell you?"

"Oh, he let me know about what Mary did, and he asked me to make sure you weren't too upset about the rumours. I have to admit, I couldn't help teasing him about it - you should have seen how red he was!"

"He wasn't embarrassed at all when we heard about the rumours at Hogsmeade. He was actually really calm and collected!" she exclaimed. "Did he tell you he invited me to go to Hogsmeade with him and his friends when he realised I was alone?"

"Yes - and I'm so sorry I couldn't go with you Rose. I'm actually the one who suggested to Remus that you should go with them - I knew that Mary was going to be really clingy and insecure after what happened yesterday, and I didn't have a chance to explain it to you yesterday or this morning. Can you forgive me?"

"Are you serious? I got to spend the whole day with Remus! If anything, I should be thanking you," said Rose, grinning. "He was so lovely today, Lily. He showed me all around the village and feed me _so much_ chocolate. His friends kind of teased us, but he handled it really well. They didn't think it was a good idea to visit the Shrieking Shack though, because of the rumours."

"What do the rumours have to do with the Shrieking Shack?"

"They said it's a popular place for people to go to make out," she replied. "Didn't you know that?"

To Rose's confusion, Lily laughed loudly.

"Are you _sure_ that's what they said?" she asked.

"Yes," Rose said, frowning. "That's what Peter said and the others agreed. They really didn't want to go."

"Well they must have been teasing you, because no one makes out at the Shrieking Shack!" she replied, still laughing.

"Really?" she asked, suddenly feeling very foolish. "But why would they lie about something like that?"

"I wouldn't have a clue. Those boys can be ridiculous sometimes, especially Potter."

"Speaking of James, he came to see me earlier today."

"Potter came to see you? Really? That's unusual," Lily said, sounding surprised.

"Well, I think he was hoping you might be here, but he told me it was Mary who attacked me. I also asked him if Remus liked anyone else, but he said he doesn't," Rose said hopefully.

"You aren't going to give up on him, are you?"

Rose smiled sadly in response. She did not think could give up, even if she wanted to.

* * *

"Moony?"

"Yes, Prongs?" replied Remus, not looking up from his textbook. He was working alone in the library when James approached him.

"I just had a chat with Rose," James said seriously, sitting down opposite him. Remus looked up slowly.

"And?" he asked apprehensively.

"She asked me if you were interested in anyone else."

"And what did you say?"

"I said no," he replied, frowning.

Remus nodded, looking worried.

"How did she react to that?"

"She was happy. She really, _really_ likes you, Moony. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

Remus stared at his textbook glumly.

"You know I can't," he said miserably.

James looked like he was carefully considering his next words.

"Then you need to stop sending her mixed messages - you gave her too much attention today and now she's confused."

"I know," he moaned, burying his face in his hands. "But she was just _there_ and she was so lovely and she keeping _looking_ at me like - like -"

"Like she wanted to jump you?" James suggested.

"No," Remus said, still looking into his hands.

"Like she wanted you to jump her?"

" _No_!"

"No, you're right… it was more like… like she adores you," said James, his tone now uncharacteristically soft.

Remus looked up at James.

"You saw it too?" he asked quietly.

James nodded.

"It's the same way you look at her," James said, sighing before he added, "Just – just try not to get yourself hurt again, okay, Moony?"

Remus looked at him hopelessly

"As long as she doesn't try asking me out again…"

They started sat each other, and each seemed to reach the same conclusion - Rose most certainly would try again.

* * *

 **AN - thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this update. As always, feedback is appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14

Rose was allowed to leave the hospital wing after dinner, but by the end of the evening, she wished she had stayed there. It all started when she entered the common room, well after other students had already returned from dinner.

"Looking good, Rose!" Sirius had called to her from across the common room. He was sitting with Remus, James and Peter near the fireplace. Remus rolled his eyes at his friend, though he waved Rose over. As Rose walked towards them, she noticed Mary, who was sitting near the entry to the girls dormitory with Lily, jump up and storm out of the common room. Lily smiled apologetically at Rose before she ran after her.

By the time Rose sat down next to Remus, she was silently fuming.

"Someone looks angry," said Sirius. Rose could not believe he was actually grinning.

"How dare Mary act like that!" Rose exclaimed, ignoring him. "I just spent the whole afternoon in the hospital wing because of _her_! To think I actually expected her to apologize. How can she possibly still think the rumours are true?"

"I bet you wish they were true, though," Sirius remarked, still grinning.

Rose stared back at him, completely gobsmacked.

" _What_?" she asked, aghast.

"You heard me - well, maybe not the part about us, but definitely the part about you sleeping with R-"

"Sirius!" said Remus sharply, cutting him off while James laughed and Peter watched on eagerly.

"Well, it's true!" he replied defensively.

"No, it ISN'T!" Rose snapped furiously, jumping up from her seat. He had gone too far. Rose could not believe this was the same person who had comforted her when she was upset about Remus. "You leave me alone, you _arse_ , Sirius Black!"

She stormed off to her dormitory.

* * *

The week that followed was easily the loneliest Rose had ever felt at Hogwarts. Mary refused to apologize to her, and became extremely cross every time she saw Lily speaking to Rose. Lily tried to be fair, but ultimately ended up spending most of her time with Mary. Rose was not surprised that Lily choose Mary - the two girls were best friends since first year. In class, Rose either sat alone or with the other girls who shared her dormitory - Norma and Astrid - but their friendship did not extend beyond the classroom. At mealtimes she ate alone and also spent a lot of time ny herself in the library. She refused to speak to Sirius, and worst of all, Remus hardly seemed to notice her.

"Miss Wilson, can I please have a word with you?" said Professor Selwyn at the end of their Defense Against the Dark Arts class one day. Confused and feeling rather nervous, Rose approached the Professor's desk while the other students left the classroom. Lily smiled at her encouragingly while Mary ignored her completely.

"I'm afraid I have bad news concerning last week's quiz."

Professor Selwyn looked solemn as he handed Rose her test paper.

"I f-failed?" Rose stuttered as she looked down at her quiz. She was shocked - she had never failed anything before.

"I'm afraid so. Although you did reasonably well in some areas, you seem to be struggling in others. As you know, this quiz was testing your knowledge for your OWLS. Now, I have spoken to Professor McGonagall and I understand that this past week has been difficult for you. For that reason, I will allow you to re-sit the test in two weeks time. Does that sound fair to you, Miss Wilson?"

"Yes, Professor. Thank you," Rose said, and she hang her head down in shame as she walked out of the classroom. She stood outside the classroom, not knowing what to do. Most students would be in their common rooms, getting ready for dinner. However, Rose desperately wanted to be alone - not that anyone would talk to her in the common room - and found that she had no appetite for food, so she decided to go to the library.

As she expected, the library was almost empty except for a handful of seventh year students. She walked briskly towards the back, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. She spotted a old sofa in a secluded corner behind the restricted section and she sat down on it before curling up into the fetal position. She tried to clear her thoughts, but it was all too overwhelming - she had no friends, she was incredibly lonely, the rumours had started to die away but they still lingered - and now she was failing a subject. She could not help but feel sorry for herself as she blinked away her tears.

"Rose?"

The voice startled her and she quickly sat up, shocked to see Remus standing at the aisle of a nearby bookshelf.

"Are - are you okay?" he asked awkwardly, looking at her in concern.

Rose suppressed a groan. Of course, the first time Remus speaks to her on over a week is when she is crying and feeling miserable.

"Yes - sorry, I'm fine," she said as she quickly wiped away her tears.

"No, you aren't. You're crying," he said, frowning. He put his school bag down by the sofa and sat next to her. Rose drew in a sharp breath. He looked so handsome as he stared at her intently.

"What's wrong? Does this have something to do with Professor Selwyn asking to see you?"

Rose felt herself blushing. How could she explain to Remus that she has failed a quiz that he probably did extremely well in. She nodded shyly, and looked down at her hands.

"He wanted to talk to me about last week's quiz. I - I didn't do very well," she said lamely.

"Oh," she heard Remus say. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said kindly. Rose looked up at him and he smiled at her.

"That's easy for you to say," Rose replied, smiling back ruefully. "You're really good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. In fact, you're pretty good at everything."

"That's not true! I'm rather abysmal in potions class."

"But you aren't failing," she said quietly.

Remus looked shocked.

"Did you fail the quiz?" he asked sympathetically.

Rose nodded.

"I have to re-sit it in two weeks."

Remus looked at her hesitantly before speaking, as though unsure of what he was about to say.

"I could help you study, if you like?" he asked, as though uncertain she would appreciate the offer.

Rose cringed - she was embarrassed that Remus knew she needed help - but at the same time was excited at the prospect of spending time with him. At any rate, it would be nice to have someone to talk to again. She really was feeling terribly lonely.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked uncertainly. "I mean, you have your own studies to worry about, and prefect duties too."

"I'm sure. Let's see - today is Wednesday. Why don't you leave your quiz with me so I know what areas you need the most help with. Come and find me after breakfast on Saturday morning and we can get started. Does that sound good to you?"

Rose agreed, and privately thought that Saturday morning could not come soon enough.

* * *

The next few days seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly. Remus had not approached her at all since they last talked, and it much to her disappointment, she did not have a chance to talk to Lily.

Rose took her time getting ready on Saturday morning. She took a long shower, washed her hair, and hummed happily to herself as she carefully styled it in the dormitory. Mary, who usually pretended that Rose did not exist, keep looking at her from the corner of her eye before walking out of the dormitory in a huff, leaving her alone with Lily, who had just finished getting dressed. She sighed loudly.

"She probably thinks you're fixing yourself for Sirius," Lily said apologetically.

"I don't care what she thinks. And I'm fixing myself up for Remus, not Sirius," she said, smiling happily at her reflection.

"Remus?" Lily asked, looking mildly surprised.

"Yes. He's helping me study," Rose said. She hesitated before adding, "I didn't have a chance to tell you, but I failed the Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz," she admitted, no longer smiling.

"You _failed_?" Lily repeated in disbelief. "But you're really smart!"

"At some things… I always knew Defense Against the Dark Arts was my worst subject… I just didn't realise it was this bad."

The two girls left the dormitory a moment later. Rose almost forgot that she didn't have breakfast with Lily anymore, and it was not until she saw Mary waiting in the common room that she realised her mistake.

"Well, I'll see you later," Rose said to Lily. She walked away before Lily had a chance to reply. As she slipped out of the common room, she heard Mary asking Lily why she took so long to get ready. Rose rolled her eyes, but forced herself not to think about either girl. She focused instead on Remus, and felt a nervous flutter in her stomach.

Breakfast was not very enjoyable. She was too nervous to eat, and Lily and Mary had been forced to sit near her because there was no where else to sit. They didn't talk much, though Mary did make sure glare at Rose on multiple occasions. Rose did her best to ignore her, and instead focused on watching Remus. When he looked like he had finished eating, she stood up, said goodbye to Lily and slowly walked up to where he was sitting with his friends.

"Hello, Remus," she said, smiling nervously.

"Oh, hello Rose," he said, as he looked up at her. "Have you finished breakfast?"

She nodded, and as she did so, noticed that his friends were looking curiously at them.

"Is now a good a time? I'm sorry, I can come back later if you haven't finished yet?" she said. She was starting to feel unnerved at the way his friends were staring. She especially did not like the way Sirius was smirking.

"A good time for what?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Rose ignored him.

"Rose and I have a study session," Remus said as he stood up and picked up his bag, also ignoring Sirius. "I'll see you at lunch."

"Oh, a _study_ session," said Sirius. "Just a heads up, the broom closet in the Hufflepuff corridor is usually busy on a Saturday morning."

"Why would we study in a broom closet - oh!" she said, blushing as she understood what he meant. Feeling annoyed, she was about to snap at him, but Remus leaned in close to her, immediately distracting her.

"Just ignore him. It'll annoy him most," he muttered into her ear.

Rose nodded, intoxicated by his proximity, and followed him out of the Great Hall. She distinctly heard James and Sirius sniggering, and desperately hoped that Remus had not noticed the effect he had on her.

"I'm sorry about him - he's just trying to get under your skin because you yelled at him last week. He's got quite an ego," Remus explained apologetically once they were in the entrance hall.

"That's an understatement," Rose said darkly. "I actually thought he was rather nice, you know. But he is horrible."

"He isn't horrible - he can just be a bit difficult," said Remus defensively.

Rose looked at him, suddenly worried that she had offended him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult your friend," she said, biting her lip anxiously. "I've just had a really difficult week. It's really forced me to reassess everything I thought I knew about my friends."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I _thought_ Sirius had a soft side, but he's been such an arse lately. James only came to visit me in the hospital wing because he thought Lily would be there. Peter just agrees with everything those two say. I thought Mary was fun, but she is nasty, insecure and shallow. Lily is a loyal friend - I can't fault that - but she choose to be loyal to Mary, not me. It's like everything I thought I knew about everyone has been a lie," she finished sadly.

"Oh."

"Yeh," she replied, sighing heavily.

Remus led the way into the library and sat down at an empty table. Rose sat down next to him, and looked at him expectantly.

"So, I had a look at your quiz," he said, as he pulled it out of this bag and set it down on the table. "You did pretty well in some sections, like defensive spells and the theory behind dark curses," he said encouragingly.

Rose nodded, knowing what he was going to say next.

"But you did really poorly on the section about dark creatures. So I think that's what we really need to focus on before you re-sit the test."

"Right," Rose said.

"I've drawn up a list of dangerous creatures that are most likely to be covered in the OWLS. We'll cover creatures like grindylows, kappas, boggarts and dementors, as well as human and human-like dark creatures like vampires, hags and inferi. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good," she said, surprised at how much thought he had out into this. "But it sounds like a lot of work. Are you sure you have time for this?"

"Of course I have time. Besides, it's good revision for me too," he replied, and he pulled a textbook out of his bag. Rose felt a nervous flutter in her stomach when she recognized the cover. It was The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I don't know if you have a copy of this book. We used it in third year, but it has all the relevant information on dark creatures. I thought we could start with vampires today," he said, as he flicked through the textbook. "They are relatively straight-forward -"

"Can we start with something else?" Rose asked quickly.

Remus stopped, and looked up from the book in surprise.

"Why?"

"I, er, I don't like vampires," she said. She felt a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"You don't like vampires?" he repeated slowly, as though it was the most ridiculous thing he has ever heard.

"No."

"Oh. Uh, okay. How about we work on hags then?" he asked, looking perplexed.

She shook her head.

"Inferi? Werewolves?"

Rose shuddered.

"No, please, can we cover boggarts, or dementors first?"

"But they aren't your weakest points. You scored worst on human, and human-like creatures," he said, frowning.

Rose didn't know what to say. Remus continued to look at her uncertainly.

"Rose?"

She shook her head.

"You wouldn't understand."

"You don't know that."

Rose looked at him carefully. It all came down to whether or not she trusted him. Did she trust him enough to share her fears and worries? Would he take her seriously, or would he laugh at her? He was looking at her so sincerely at that moment that she could not help but trust him.

"I have never liked reading about dark creatures," she began, fidgeting nervously with her quiz as she spoke. "But it wasn't so bad until earlier this year, after we did the assignment on werewolves. I started flicking through that book," she explained, pointing at the book Remus had bought with him. "I was bored - I wasn't really reading… just looking at the pictures mostly. But then, something caught my eye. There was a chapter - a chapter about…" she trailed off unable to continue. She looked up at Remus, and she saw a look of realisation spread across his face.

"Veela?"

Rose nodding, her face burning.

"A chapter on veela, Remus. In a Dark Arts book. I'm - I'm a dark creature," she admitted sadly. "You can't even imagine how traumatizing that realisation was."

"So that's why you failed the quiz? You were too traumatized to read about dark creatures?"

"I know what you're thinking - it sounds stupid, doesn't it? But all my life I've just wanted to be normal, like you, and everyone else. And then I read this stupid book and I'm the same category as _vampires_ and _hags_ and _werewolves_ \- and I just - I just can't stand to even look at it anymore."

Remus shook his head slowly, a sadly little smile playing at his lips.

"It - it isn't stupid. No one likes being different. But Rose, even if veela are technically dark creatures, _you_ aren't a dark creature. Everyone at Hogwarts knows that you have veela ancestry and _no one cares_. People actually think its cool. True dark creatures, vampire or w-werewolves, aren't welcome at Hogwarts. But you are."

Rose considered him for a moment, before allowing herself to smile.

"I was wrong," she said.

"Wrong? About what?" Remus asked, looking confused.

"Not all my friends have let me down."

Remus blushed.

* * *

 **AN - Oh Rose, you have no idea! Thanks for reading! Reviews and feedback always welcome**.


	15. Chapter 15

Rose was very surprised when Lily actually sat next to her in the common room after dinner later that evening.

"Hi Rose," she said as she sat down. She looked tired.

"Oh, are you allowed to speak to me now?" Rose asked dryly, looking up from her textbook.

"I don't need permission to speak to you," she said, though she looked embarrassed. "Mary is in detention for attacking you -"

"Good."

"You know I feel horrible about this, don't you? I hate that I can't spend more time with you, but Mary is very -"

"Insecure - yeh I've heard. She's also the one who _attacked me._ "

"She does feel guilty about that, you know."

"Not guilty enough to apologize. Does she still think I'm the resident Gryffindor whore?"

"Don't call yourself that!" said Lily, looking scandalised.

"Why not? That's what Mary thinks of me, isn't it?" Rose said coolly.

"No, I'm pretty sure she realises now that you are Sirius are just friends," Lily replied. "And even of you were sleeping with him, that wouldn't make you a whore."

"We _were_ friends," Rose replied bitterly. "I'm not speaking to him anymore. He's an arse and frankly I don't understand what Mary sees in him."

"Right. Well, she noticed that too, but she's still too angry at you to apologize."

"Angry at _me_? What did I do to her?" she replied incredulously.

"I didn't tell you this," Lily started hesitantly, as though she was unsure whether to continue. "But Sirius swore at Mary when he found out that she was the one who made your glass explode. Then he told her that he wished he was sleeping with you just to give her a real reason to be jealous"

"Oh. He really is an arse. But she can't blame me for that!" Rose said indignantly.

Lily shrugged.

"I told her it was her own fault but I think she is just too bitter at the moment. I also think she is starting to realise that Sirius isn't so great, either."

"Took her long enough," said Rose scathingly. Rose had more that she wanted to say, but the opportunity to talk to Lily without Mary hovering nearby rarely happens these days, so she bit her tongue and decided to steer the conversation in a more pleasant direction.

"I had my study session with Remus this morning."

"Oh, that's right! How did it go?" exclaimed Lily, sitting up excitedly.

"It was fantastic. He's so dreamy," Rose said, sighing heavily.

Lily laughing.

"Did you actually get any studying done, or were you just drooling over him the whole time?"

"Lily!" Rose exclaimed, laughing as she threw her quill at her.

The two friends enjoyed a pleasant evening together, and Rose had almost forgotten about the dramas of the last week, until Mary walked in through the portrait hole. At first, neither Rose nor Lily noticed her, however, she soon attracted the attention of most of the common room when she slammed the portrait closed behind her.

Mary looked horrible. She was soaking wet and covered in mud and leaves - Rose realised that she must have had detention with Hagrid in the forbidden forest. A few younger students started laughing, and Mary glared at them. She walked up to Lily, still fuming, apparently not realising - or maybe not caring - that Rose was there.

"I _hate_ Hagrid - that oaf! He made us sit detention in the forest, even though it was horrid and raining! It's completely unfair!"

Rose laughed, though quickly tried to cover it up with a cough. Unfortunately, this seemed to attract Mary's attention.

"I suppose you think this is funny?" she said, glaring at Rose. "The forest is dangerous! There are _werewolf cubs_ and _centaurs_ and all sorts of dangerous creatures in there! This whole situation is _your_ fault!"

" _My_ fault?" Rose replied indignantly, any sign of laughter instantly wiped from her face. "How is _my_ fault? You attacked me, in case you've forgotten!"

"If you hadn't thrown yourself at Sirius -"

"I did no such thing!"

"You just _had_ to go to Hogsmeade with him!"

"I went because _Remus_ invited me! And I wouldn't have had to go with them if you hadn't been stupid enough to believe those ridiculous rumours in the first place! I saw your scheming with _Jacinta Fawley_ \- that's a new low, Mary!"

"Don't call me stupid!" Mary snapped, before turning to Lily and saying, "Are you just going to sit there while she insults me? Why were you even talking to her?"

Lily frowned at Mary, looking offended.

"I'll talk to whoever I want," she said coolly.

Mary looked like she had been slapped in the face.

"Oh, I get it! You've chosen her, haven't you? Just like Sirius did! Who would want to be friends with me when you could be friends with a _veela_!"

Lily sighed loudly, clearly exasperated.

"Mary, you are _both_ my friends. And frankly, I'm sick of your behaviour! I've tried to make excuses for you, but I just can't do it any more! You need to grow up and start taking responsibility for your own actions. This whole situation is _your_ fault!"

Both Mary and Rose stared at Lily, gobsmacked. Rose could not believe Lily was standing up to Mary - she had always mollycoddled her friend, was quick to make excuses for her. But it seemed that Lily had finally reached the end of her tether.

Mary stared at Lily. She seemed lost for words - Rose fully expected her to break down in tears. Instead, she glared at Rose, and took one final fearful look at Lily, before she rushed off to her dormitory.

"Wow," Rose said, in the silence that followed her departure. "I didn't think you had it in you."

Lily sat back, crossing her arms across her chest.

"She needs to grow up," she said quietly. She sounded like she was going to cry. "I can't keep defending her. She's been treating you so horribly - I know she's insecure, but this is getting out of hand."

Rose did not say anything. She knew she shouldn't be happy that Lily and Mary had fought, but she couldn't help but feel glad to have her friend back.

Much to Rose's relief, her life at Hogwarts markedly improved following Lily's outburst. She and Mary still weren't on speaking terms; instead they came to an unspoken agreement to simply ignore each other. She suspected that Mary was not very happy with the situation, but that she was too afraid to continue acting like an entitled brat, least Lily end their friendship. Rose felt much happier now that Lily was spending sharing her time more equally between the two of them.

"I can't take this anymore!" Lily exclaimed one day, throwing her quill down angrily as she and Rose studied in the library.

Rose looked up at her in surprise.

"Take what?" Rose asked.

"I feel like I'm being pulled in three directions! I'm trying to juggle my friendships with you, Mary and Sev all at the same time. You're the only one who seemed to understand how hard this is for me! Sev and Mary both keep complaining that I don't spend enough time with them any more."

Rose bit her tongue. She wanted to remind Lily that it was Mary's stubbornness that put her in this situation, but she didn't think Lily needed to hear that right now.

"You know, I don't mind hanging out with Sev. You can invite him to study with us, if he's that bothered by it," Rose offered.

Lily's face lit up.

"Really?" she replied, looking relieved. "You don't mind? I - I know you two don't really get along…"

Rose shrugged indifferently.

"He's tolerable, especially when you're around."

"Thank you, Rose! And how are your study sessions with Remus going?"

"Really good. He said I've made a lot of progress. I've got one more session with him on Saturday morning. The test in on Sunday."

Rose had not told Lily about her fear of dark creatures. However, her confession to Remus had proven most effective. In their second study session, he gave her a copy of the Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts - he had magically sealed off the chapter on veela. With his help, she managed to learn all about dark creatures.

Their final study session arrived on Saturday morning. Rose had suggested that they sit outside and take advantage of what was likely to be the last few days before the cold set in. They sat down under a tree near the Great Lake - Rose had borrowed Lily's enchanted blanket to keep them warm. She laid back against the tree trunk with her legs spread out in front of her. Remus sat across from her with legs crossed, the text book open in his lap. Rose had suggested that he should sit against the tree, as he looked rather tired, but he had insisted he was fine.

"Next question - you're alone in a deserted, medieval castle in central Europe. It's the middle of the night and you hear a knock on the front doors. How do you determine if the man standing there is a vampire or an ordinary wizard?"

"I need more information! What does he look like?"

Remus pretended to think for a moment.

"Well, he's tall and pale, with long black hair and a sullen face."

"Is he handsome?" Rose teased.

"Oh no, he's got a big nose and his hair is really greasy and -"

"You've just described Severus!" said Rose, laughing.

"Oh, have I?" Remus said, pretending to be shocked but betraying a small smile. "So, is it Severus or is it a vampire?"

"Right - if he's a vampire he won't come in unless I invite him in, so I definitely won't do that. Then I'll ask him to open his mouth, to check out his fangs. That's not foolproof because he can probably disguise them, especially if he has stolen a wand. I can also try to check if he has a reflection in a mirror. And then I'll tell him to come back in the morning, which he won't be able to do if he's a vampire."

Remus pretended to consult the textbook.

"Excellent, Rose," he said. "If he really is a vampire, you will be completely safe. Unfortunately, if he is _not_ a vampire, he probably would have attacked you as soon as the door was opened."

"Not if I hex him first!" said Rose. "I'm pretty good at dueling, you know."

"Really?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I've never seen any evidence of that."

Rose playfully raised her wand.

"Would you like a demonstration?"

"No, I believe you!" Remus exclaimed, laughing as he held up his arms in surrender. "In all seriousness, I think you are ready to sit the test tomorrow. You've come such a long way these last few weeks. I'm proud of you."

Rose smiled shyly.

"I have a _really_ good teacher."

Remus did not look at her, but a blush spread across his cheeks as he flicked through his textbook.

"Do you have any final questions before we head back to the castle?" he asked.

"Actually, yes. There's something I don't understand. A while back, Mary said that werewolf cubs live in the forbidden forest. But I thought werewolves only transform during a full moon?"

Remus frowned, a small crease appeared between his eyebrows as he continued to flick through his book.

"That's right," he said slowly, still not looking at her. He seemed to be carefully considering his words. "But werewolf cubs aren't actually werewolves. It rarely happens, but they are conceived when two werewolves mate while transformed on the full moon. If the woman gets pregnant, she will give birth to wolf cubs."

Rose felt her jaw drop.

"A witch gives birth to _wolves_?" she asked, unable to hid her shock.

"Yes. Ironically, they are just like ordinary wolves, only more beautiful and highly intelligent. They aren't dangerous to humans at all."

Rose stared at Remus in awe.

"What if it isn't a full moon when they mate?"

Remus shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"I don't know. I - I don't think werewolves usually breed."

"Really? I mean sure, not with a _normal_ person," she said, laughing at the thought. "But surely they would mate with each other?"

Remus grimaced, taking in a sharp breath of air.

"Remus? Are you okay?" Rose asked, sitting up straight. "Remus?"

He shook his head and clutched his arm across his stomach.

"I - I feel sick. I should go to the hospital wing," he muttered breathlessly. Without looking at Rose, he picked up his bag and text book and ran off in the direction of the castle. Rose watched him until he disappeared through the front doors, feeling stricken. What on earth had just happened?

* * *

 **AN - I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Poor Rose - she has no idea. And poor Remus. Thanks for reading! I am always paranoid about keeping everyone in-character, so would really appreciate feedback on that!**


	16. Chapter 16

Rose did not see Remus again that day, and when she realised that he was not at dinner, she started to worry. Later that evening, she spotted Peter Pettigrew leaving the common - alone - and approached him.

"Peter!" she called out before he could climb through the portrait home.

Startled, he turned to look at her. He seemed confused. Rose could hardly blame him. They rarely spoke to each other, especially not since she had stopped speaking to Sirius.

"Hi?" he replied uncertainly.

"Do you know where Remus is? I haven't seen him since this morning," Rose asked.

Peter stared at her blankly.

"Oh. Remus. He's - he's in the hospital wing. He's sick."

"He's still there?" Rose asked, surprised. "Oh, poor Remus. He must be really sick. Maybe I should go visit him."

"No!" said Peter quickly.

Rose stared at him, confused, and Peter squirmed nervously.

"Why not?"

"He's, er, sleeping. Madam Pomfrey kicked us out. He - he had to take a sleeping potion."

"Oh," said Rose, feeling disheartened. "Maybe I'll just see him tomorrow."

"Yeh," Peter replied, nodding vigorously. "Tomorrow. Erm, I have to go. Bye."

When Remus did not appear at breakfast the next morning, Rose started to worry again.

"Just how sick is he?" Rose asked Lily anxiously, as they, along with Mary, walked out of the Great Hall.

"I wouldn't worry," Lily reassured her. "Remus tends to get sick a lot."

"But he's been there since yesterday -" Rose was cut off as she walked right into another student, and fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," said a smooth a voice high above her. She looked up and a saw a boy who she recognized as a popular and rather handsome seventh year Ravenclaw. He held out his hand for her and she blushed as she took it, feeling especially ridiculous from her position on the ground.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as she straightened up.

Rose hastily shook her head, not looking at him as she straightened out her robes.

"No, I'm fine - really thank you."

"You're sure?" he asked, and Rose looked up into his eyes.

"I'm fine," she said softly.

He reached out a hand and brushed a disheveled lock of hair out of her eyes.

"You have really lovely eyes, Rose Wilson," he muttered. Rose simply stared back at him, feeling her face burn red. "I'll see you around."

As he walked off into the Great Hall, Rose suddenly remembered that Mary and Lily were standing right besides her.

"That was awkward," said Rose, laughing nervously.

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Lily. "That was _Henry_ _Brown_. Henry Brown just said that you have lovely eyes!"

"So?" replied Rose, feeling uncomfortably.

"So? He's the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain! He's one of the most popular guys at Hogwarts! And he thinks you have _lovely_ _eyes_!"

"I didn't know you were so fond of Quidditch players, Evans."

Lily spun around and saw James Potter standing behind her with Sirius and Peter. Rose immediately noticed how tired they all seemed, and she wondered if they were all sick too.

"Brown is decent, but he's got nothing on me," said James, running a hand through his hair.

"Henry is infinitely more talented than you, Potter," Lily snapped, looking incredibly irate at the interruption.

James scowled.

"What do you know about Quidditch anyway," he replied, before he sulked off into the Great Hall. Rose stopped Peter before he could follow him.

"Peter? Where's Remus? Is he still in the hospital wing?" she asked.

Peter stared at her wide eyed, before turning his gaze to Sirius. Sirius nudged his head towards the Great Hall and Peter scampered off. Rose glared at Sirius.

"What did you do that for?" she said angrily. "I was talking to him."

"You can talk to me," he replied, returning her glare.

"What's your _problem_?" she replied, suddenly feeling frustrated at his behavior.

"You are."

Rose stared at him in confusion. She looked at Lily uncertainly, but she simply shrugged back at her. Even Mary looked confused.

"I didn't do anything -"

"Stay away from Remus," he said sharply, cutting her off.

Rose felt her insides freeze. That was certainly not what she had been expecting.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"You heard me, stay away from him," he said. Rose was suddenly struck by how intimidating Sirius could be when he wanted to.

"But why?" she asked.

"You're suffocating him. He's got enough on his plate without babysitting you too."

"But - but he wanted to help me - he _offered_!"

Sirius sighed loudly.

"He only offered because he felt sorry for you!" said Sirius, as though he was stating the obvious.

"He - he felt sorry for me?" Rose repeated, confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think it was because he _fancies_ you?" he asked sarcastically.

"No - no I just thought -"

"Well, he doesn't - he fancies someone else," he said, with uncharacteristic harshness.

Rose froze. She felt numb.

"He does?" she asked in a small voice.

Sirius smirked. He seemed to be enjoying her distress.

"That's right. And she is bloody _hot_ , not a stuck-up bitch like -"

"Oh, SHUT UP!"

There was a stunned silence as everyone started at Mary, who was glaring furiously at Sirius.

"What?" Sirius replied stupidly. He too, apparently, was dumbfounded. Rose suspected that this was the first time Mary had ever stood up to him.

"You heard me!" Mary retorted. "It's none of your bloody business if Rose talks to Remus. If he needs space, he can tell her himself. And don't you dare call Rose a bitch."

Sirius looked lost for words. He glared at Rose one last time, before storming off into the Great Hall, leaving behind an awkward silence.

"He really is an arse," said Mary eventually. "I don't know what I ever saw in him."

"He can be charming when he wants to be," Rose replied softly.

Mary nodded and gulped. She looked at Rose hesitantly, before taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Rose," she said, looking bashful. "I'm an idiot - a terrible, petty, jealous idiot. I should never have believed those ridiculous rumours. I'm so sorry I hexed you."

Rose, still shaken from Sirius' verbal tirade, was too shocked to respond. Was Mary finally apologizing?

"I understand if you're still angry - I really was nasty -"

"No," said Rose, shaking her head. "No, I forgive you."

"Really?" Mary asked, looking hopeful.

"Really."

"Oh, you two!" cried Lily, startling both girls. She wrapped an arm around each girl and pulled them into a group hug.

"Lily! You're suffocating me!" choked Mary.

"Well, it's about time you came to your senses!" Lily replied as she let the girls go. She sounded like she was holding back tears. "I can't believe it took this long for - Rose, are you okay?"

Rose shook her head and blinked back tears.

"Remus likes someone else," she whispered, her voice shaking. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Oh, Rose," said Lily softly, putting a comforting arm on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"I thought - I really thought he might be starting to like me."

"That was horrible of Sirius to tell you that," said Mary darkly. "What on earth is his problem? You aren't a stuck-up bitch!"

"You don't think it's because Henry was flirting with me, do you?" Rose replied, biting her lip anxiously. "Maybe he thinks I'm cheating on Remus?"

"Rose, you can't be cheating on Remus," said Lily, sounding exasperated. "You aren't even dating."

"Oh, right," said Rose, looking crestfallen.

"Look, maybe Black is right and maybe he isn't," said Lily cautiously. "Does it really matter?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean - you need to stop thinking about Remus and start thinking about yourself. You're consumed with this hope that Remus might fall for you and it's making you miserable that he isn't. Maybe you _should_ stop talking to Remus. Not because Black said you should, or because he needs the space, but because _you_ do," she replied.

"But - but I like spending time with Remus," Rose said quietly. She knew as soon as the words left her mouth how silly it sounded.

"Look, I'm just saying think about it. Black has his reasons for interfering and those boys keep no secrets from each other. I suspect that Remus probably told Black something about your relationship - and Black saw Henry flirting with you and overreacted."

"So, you think Remus wants me to back off?"

"I don't know but it's possible."

Rose did not know what to think. The thought of Remus wanting her to back off - actually feeling suffocated by her - was mortifying. But it didn't make sense - he certainly seemed to enjoy her company.

"I'll - I'll think about it," Rose replied meekly to Lily. "Look - I need to go - I have to prepare for my quiz. I'll see you at dinner."

She walked off before Lily or Mary could protest. Once out of their sight, she broke into a run and did not stop until she was safely in her dormitory, tears now streaking her cheeks. She was consumed by a single thought.

James had lied to her. Remus does like someone else.

Remus groaned softly. He had just woken up - it was the morning after the full moon and he was still in the hospital wing. He turned his head and was surprised to see his friend sitting by his bed, waiting for him to wake.

"Sirius?" Remus croaked.

Sirius started, and looked up at his friend, a relieved smile on his face.

"You're awake," he said. "Finally. How are you feeling?"

"Horrible. Really, really horrible," he said, resting his head back in his pillow. "Bloody hell. What happened?"

"You had a really bad transformation, Remus," replied Sirius solemnly, shaking his head. " _Really_ bad. It wasn't like the first two times we joined you. The wolf was... agitated."

Remus snapped his eyes open and looked at Sirius in fear.

"I didn't hurt you, did I? Or James or Peter?" he asked frantically, his heart racing.

"We're fine," said Sirius quickly. "Now calm down or Pomfrey will kick me out. The wolf was too difficult for us to control this time - we had to leave early. Your injuries were _bad_."

Remus closed his eyes and rested his head back down on his pillow, relieved. He knew it was a bad transformation - he hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time.

"Remus?" Sirius said, sounding uncharacteristically gentle. "This was because of what Rose said, isn't it? About mating with werewolves?"

Remus made no sign that he heard him.

"Remus?"

He wondered whether he stayed still for long enough, Sirius would assume he fell asleep and leave.

"Remus. _Moony_. I know you can hear me."

"I don't want to talk about it," Remus muttered, not opening his eyes.

"Well I do!" Sirius said sharply. "You need to stop talking to her. It's literally destroying you! Look at you - you're covered in bandages!"

"I can't help how I feel about her," Remus said quietly.

"She doesn't deserve you, Remus! She's a prejudiced bigot."

"It isn't her fault -"

"Yes it is! Stop making excuses for her! For _once_ in your life, Remus, you need to start thinking about yourself."

When Remus did not reply, Sirius sighed deeply.

"Look, I didn't want to tell you this, but I think you need to know. I saw Rose flirting with Henry Brown today," he said darkly.

Remus' eyes flew open.

" _What_?" he breathed. "Henry _Brown_?"

"James and Peter saw it too," he replied. "She was practically drooling all over him. He said she has lovely eyes. She couldn't stop giggling. It was disgusting."

Remus looked devastated.

"But - but I thought -"

Sirius shook his head.

"I think she's moved on. And maybe you should too."

Remus closed his eyes and turned head away from his friend. This time, neither boy spoke. Sirius left minutes later.

* * *

 **AN - I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, feedback is appreciated!**


	17. Chapter 17

Rose sat alone in the otherwise empty Gryffindor common room. She should be at lunch with Lily and Mary - no doubt they were wondering where she was - but she had no appetite.

She was not feeling confident at all about the quiz - the confrontation with Sirius had made it difficult to focus, though she hoped that she would at least pass.

Rose was deep in thought when the portrait hole swung open, startling her. She looked up and was surprised to see Remus entering the common room. He did not seem to notice her as he walked towards the dormitory. She was surprised to see how exhausted he looked and wondered if he was still sick.

She was about to call out to him, but at that moment he finally noticed her. His eyes widened and he quickly looked away from her, and with surprising agility for someone looking so sickly, he hurried off to the boys dormitories.

Rose stared at the doorway through which he disappeared, struggling to believe comprehend that Remus had just run away from her. How could he have changed so much in just one day? Yesterday they were laughing at the idea of Severus looking like a vampire, but now he couldn't even look at her. What had she done to deserve this?

At that moment, she realised that Sirius was right. Remus wanted nothing to do with her.

* * *

Remus continued to avoid Rose over the next few days, and she resolved not to speak to him until he spoke to her. It devastated her, but she refused to impose herself on him if he was feeling suffocated.

Rose was doing remarkably well pretending that Remus did not exist, until a Defense Against the Dark Arts class later that week. Professor Selwyn asked her to stay back at the end of class.

"No need to look so worried," he said, smiling broadly at her as he held out her quiz. "You passed. In fact, you Exceeded Expectations. Well done, Rose. I'm proud of you."

"Really?" Rose asked, smiling her first true smile in days. She looked at her test sheet and saw the letters 'EE' written in bright red ink. "Thank you, Professor."

Lily and Mary were waiting for her outside the classroom. They looked at her anxiously, but both looked relieved when they saw her smile.

"You passed?" asked Lily, wide eyed.

"Exceeds Expectations!" Rose exclaimed, showing them the quiz. "I can't wait to tell Remus -"

She stopped abruptly, her smile vanishing.

"I suppose he doesn't care anymore," she said dismally, hastily stuffing the test into her schoolbag.

"Oh, Rose," said Lily, sharing an anxious look with Mary. "I'm sure he cares."

"You could still tell him?" suggested Mary tentatively, as though she wasn't sure herself that it was the right thing to do.

Rose shook her head.

"No, I promised myself I wouldn't talk to him. If he cared, he would have asked me about it after I sat the test."

Lily nodded in agreement and Rose let the topic drop. However, the more Rose thought about it as the day went on, the more she felt like it was the wrong thing to do. Remus had spent hours helping her study. Maybe he didn't care anymore, but she did. She had to left him know that she was grateful for his help, but how?

Later that evening, as Rose prepared for bed, she noticed a block of chocolate in her bedside draw. It was one of the blocks that she had bought from Hogsmeade. She was suddenly struck with an idea. She grabbed a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled 'thank you' on it, before folding it in half and writing 'Remus' across the front. Leaving it unsigned, she taped it to the block of chocolate with spellotape and quietly snuck back down into the common room. It was fairly late, but a few students were still up, either chatting with their friends, or studying. The lights had been put out and so most students were seated around the fire for warmth and light. Remus was sitting by the fire, studying, while his friends chatted animatedly besides him. His schoolbag was on the ground by the side of the sofa, near his feet. As quietly as she could, Rose snuck up behind them, grateful that they were all facing away from her, and carefully slipped the block of chocolate into his open bag, before retreating back to the girls staircase where she knew couldn't be seen.

She did not have to wait long - minutes later Peter yawned rather loudly and the boys decided to retreat to their dormitory. As the others stood, Remus reached for his schoolbag, but as he stopped suddenly when he looked inside it. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he reached his hand inside and pulled out the block of chocolate. A look of realisation spread across his face, and Rose knew he had recognised her hand writing. He opened the piece of parchment, a moment later, his lips seemed to twist into a suppressed smile. He looked across the common room, as though to find her but he quickly realised that she wasn't there.

"What's that?" Sirius asked suddenly, startling Remus.

"Nothing," Remus replied hastily. He tried to put the chocolate back in his bag, but Sirius was too quick. He snatched it right from his hands.

"Hey!" Remus exclaimed. "I said it was _nothing_."

"Rubbish," Sirius scoffed as he looked at the note. James leaned over his shoulder and read it out loud.

"Thank you?" he said, looking confused. "Is that all it says? Who's it from?"

Remus did not answer but held his hand out to Sirius, who reluctantly gave it back to him.

"I thought you stopped talking to her?" said Sirius, unable to mask the accusation from his voice.

"I haven't spoken to her since Saturday," Remus said curtly as hastily packed up his belongings. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

Before anyone could reply, he walked briskly to the boys dormitory.

Sirius, James and Peter shared a meaningful look that Rose did not understand before they followed him. Slowly, Rose ascended the girls staircase, feeling more confused than ever.

* * *

Rose choose not to tell Lily or Mary about her gift to Remus. As far as they knew, she was trying to get over her feelings him, and although she knew she was doing the right thing, it was much harder than she could have imagined. Lily, in particular, was keeping a very close watch on Rose and seemed determined to distract her from her thoughts. In fact, she was so determined to keep an eye on Rose, that she insisted she join her study session with Severus.

"You _said_ you would study with us!" Lily exclaimed after breakfast that weekend.

"But that was before Mary and I made up," Rose replied awkwardly. "You don't have to split your time with the three of us separately anymore."

"But I already told Severus you'd be joining us! He is really looking forward to it!"

Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she said. She couldn't help but sound highly sceptical.

"Well, he did say he didn't mind. Oh, come on, Rose, it will fun. You don't want to study alone do you? Mary is sick - that means she will be in bed _all_ day."

"Oh, _alright_ , Lily," said Rose, reluctantly giving in.

Rose picked up her schoolbag and followed Lily across the Great Hall. As she walked, she accidentally made eye contact with Henry Brown at the Ravenclaw table - he waved at her, his face lit up in a charming smile. Rose, smiling shyly and wondering why he was suddenly so interested in her, waved back at him - and promptly walked right into a student who was standing in front of her.

"Oh, I'm so sor -" she said started to say, before realising she had walked right into _Remus_. Although he was looking at her, his expression was completely blank. Her eyes flickered over to Sirius, who was standing behind Remus and watching her very carefully, his eyes narrowed as he looked from Rose to Remus and back.

Without looking at Remus, she whispered a hurried sorry and quickly walked away from them. As she did so, she could have sworn she heard Sirius say 'I told you so'.

"What happened?" asked Lily when Rose caught up with her in the Entrance Hall. "Why do you look all flustered?"

"Didn't you see? Henry waved at me and I got distracted and waved back at him and I didn't realise Remus had stood up and - _and I walked right into him_. He - he looked at me like he didn't even know me. Like I was no one to him."

"I can't believe his nerve!" said Lily angrily. "I actually thought he was half decent, but he is no different to Potter and Black. Trust me, Rose. The sooner you forget about him, the better!"

Feeling dejected, Rose followed Lily to the library to meet Severus, but she could not stop thinking about her encounter with Remus. It was a relief when they arrived at the library - hopefully the study session would help push her thoughts away.

They found Severus seated in a far corner of the library, away from other students.

"Hi, Sev!" said Lily cheerily, as she sat down next to him. "Rose is joining us today."

Rose and Severus exchanged rather awkward hellos, neither seemed entirely enthusiastic to see the other.

"Did you hear?" Severus said to Lily as the girls pulled out their potions books. "Rumour has it that Slughorn is having a really big Christmas party this year to make up for skipping his usual Halloween party."

"Oh, really? Last years party was so much fun! Isn't that exciting, Rose?"

Rose shrugged.

"It doesn't matter - I'm not in the Slugclub," she said bitterly. She hated the way Slughorn favoured certain students. Of course, Slughorn loves Lily and favours students from his own house, so neither Lily nor Severus seemed to mind.

"Henry Brown is in the Slugclub. I wouldn't be surprised if he invited you."

"I don't want to go with Brown," Rose said, scowling.

"You aren't still mopping about Lupin, are you?" said Severus, sneering at the thought. "At least Brown has a reason to be full of himself. Lupin is a no-good, arrogant and sickly -"

"Don't talk about Remus like that," Rose snapped.

"Sev, Rose, _please_ ," said Lily sharply. "Let's just focus on potions, shall we?"

The study session passed uneventfully after that, and Severus was almost tolerable. He had the decency to help her when she got stuck, without making her feel like an idiot.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" said Lily, as she left the library with Rose hours later.

"It was okay," Rose admitted begrudgingly.

"You'll join us again, won't you?"

"As long as he keeps quiet about Remus."

Lily stopping walking and turned to face Rose, looking her straight in the eye.

"Rose, I thought you were trying to get over him?" she replied seriously.

"I am trying!" Rose exclaimed, feeling frustrated. "It isn't something I can control, Lily! I can't just tell myself to stop liking Remus anymore than you can stop hating James!"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again," said Lily softly. "It's just - he isn't the person I thought he was - he's a wolf in sheep's clothing, acting like such a nice guy, acting like he likes you and then just cutting you off overnight. It isn't fair, Rose. You deserve better than that."

Rose closed her eyes.

"You're right. I know you're right," she whispered. "I just didn't expect it to hurt this much."

Lily did not reply, but instead wrapped her arms around her friend, and Rose allowed herself to be comforted as she desperately blinked back tears.

* * *

Professor Slughorn did not officially announce the Christmas party until the start of December, though rumours had started to circulate weeks earlier.

The first time Rose heard him discuss the party was during a potions class one morning, when Jacinta Fawley asked if it was true that he had organised a band.

"You're just going to have to wait to find out, Miss Fawley," he said, though his eyes twinkled.

"I do feel sorry for the poor souls who will have to miss out," she said loudly, her eyes flickering towards Rose and Mary, not sounding sorry at all. "Still, I suppose we can't _all_ be part of the Slugclub."

"Indeed!" Slughorn said before moving along.

"Like I want to be part of his stupid club," Mary muttered as she throw her sliced lacewig flies into their potion.

"Would you go if someone invited you?" Rose asked her as she stirred the potion.

"Of course. Slughorn is a git, but his parties are really good. I wish someone - _anyone_ \- would ask. No one has ever does, though," Mary said bitterly, before smiling weakly and saying, "I think you can look forward to going - I'm certain Henry will ask you."

"But I don't want him too," Rose insisted.

"Look, I know you aren't completely over Remus yet - but he hasn't spoken a single word to you in three weeks, Rose," Mary said gently. "I know you don't like Henry, but it would be a fun night for you to just let your hair down and forget things. It isn't like you have to make out with him if you don't want to. But there's no harm in trying."

Rose sighed loudly.

"He might not ask me out," she pointed out.

"Rose, he greets you every time he sees you. A guy that popular normally wouldn't look twice at a fifth year girl. He will definitely ask you," she replied confidently.

Rose chanced a glance at Remus. He was carefully stirring his potion, looking lost in thought. Rose knew he was part of the Slugclub, and a small part of her couldn't help but hope that he might ask her to the party. She knew she was being ridiculous, of course, but she couldn't let go of that lingering flicker of hope.

* * *

 **AN - thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this update. As always, feedback is much appreciated.**


	18. Chapter 18

"The nerve of that Potter! Why won't he just leave me alone?"

Rose struggled to suppress a smile at Lily's indignation as they stepped out of the Great Hall. They had left dinner in a hurry - James had asked Lily to Slughorn's party, triggering her current rant.

"You can't blame him for trying," said Rose softly, thinking about how she hadn't given up hope that Remus might ask her.

"Oh, yes I most certainly can!"

"And she will," added Mary, not bothering to hide her smirk.

"Lily?"

Rose spun around, shocked to see Remus walk out of the Great Hall. He was looking directly at Lily, as though determined not to look at anyone else.

"If Potter sent you to talk to me, you can tell him -" Lily started.

"He didn't," Remus said shortly, cutting her off. "Professor McGonagall called a prefects meeting and asked me to tell you. We need to go."

"Oh. Right," said Lily, looking embarrassed at her outburst.

Rose continued to stare at Remus. Surely he would acknowledge her? At least say hello? Surely?

"I'll see you girls later," Lily said gently. She looked meaningfully at Rose, as though willing her not to be upset that Remus was ignoring her. Rose shook her head and smiled at Lily.

'It's fine," she said quietly. "Go."

Lily looked at her uncertainly but before she could leave they were interrupted once again.

"Rose?" a new voice asked. Startled, Rose looked up and saw Henry Brown walking directly towards her.

"Oh, hello," said Rose awkwardly.

"I'm hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, his eyes lingering for a moment on Remus. "But I really wanted to talk to you. Did you hear that Slughorn is throwing a big Christmas party?"

Rose froze. This can't be happening - not now, not while Remus was standing right besides them.

"Yes, I heard about it," she said, trying desperately to sound casual.

He pulled out his wand and conjured a single red rose. It floated between them until he plucked it from the air and held it out to her. "It would be my greatest pleasure if you would accompany me to the party."

Rose stared at the rose wide eyed, before looking at Mary and Lily, both of whom looked much too excited. Her eyes hesitantly flickered towards Remus. He was staring at the rose with a blank expression on his face, as though he were bored. And yet he still did not look at her. Feeling gutted, in that instant, Rose made up her mind. She knew what she had to do.

"Thank you, Henry. I would love to," she said, smiling sweetly at Henry. She held out her hand and took the rose from his outstretched hand.

His face lit up in such a lovely and genuine smile that Rose could not help but feel truly appreciated.

"You will? Wow, great! I'll, uh, I'll talk to you later, then, okay?" he said softly before walking back into the Great Hall. Rose looked around again, wondering if Remus would finally look at her, but to her disappointment, he was gone.

Before Rose could say anything, Lily and Mary were both hugging her.

"This is so exciting! My friend is going out with Henry Brown! Jacinta is going to die!" Mary shrieked.

"Where's Remus?" Rose said bleakly, not hugging her friends back.

"Huh?" said Mary, as though she did not understand what Rose was talking about.

"Remus. He was right here. He was waiting for Lily. Where did he go?"

"Don't worry about him," said Lily quickly. "He's probably gone to the prefects meeting. Rose, I'm so proud of you! It isn't easy to do the right thing and move on, but you're doing it."

Rose stared at her blankly. It did not feel right. Not at all.

* * *

He heard the heavy footsteps first, and knew the indignant shout was coming.

"Hey!" he heard Lily shout. "Remus, wait!"

He stopped, not wanting to, but knowing it would be much worse if he didn't. He turned to look at Lily, his expression blank as he fought desperately to mask his pain. He could not let her see his despair.

"We're going to be late," he said, before taking off again.

"You could have waited for me," she said angrily as she caught up to him.

"You were busy."

"What? You couldn't have waited a minute?"

"I didn't want to rush you."

"I don't believe you," said Lily, as she studied him shrewdly.

"Why not?" he said, in what he knew was a futile attempt at feigning ignorance.

"You waited just long enough to see what Rose would say before you ran off."

Remus felt his cheeks burn.

"That's ridiculous. I waited for you, but it became pretty obvious that you were preoccupied, so I left. I don't want to be late."

"Right, and I suppose that it only became obvious that I became preoccupied after Rose accepted Henry's invitation?"

"What are you implying?" Remus asked, his tone uncharacteristically cool. Lily looked taken back.

"You're jealous!" she exclaimed. "It's obvious. You don't want her yourself but you don't want anyone else to have her either!"

"What? Jealous? You're delusional, Lily," Remus replied indignantly. "Rose is at perfect liberty to date whomever she pleases. I couldn't care less."

Lily stopped just outside of Professor McGonagall's office, and turned to face Remus, looking him directly in the eye.

"I thought you were better than that, Lupin," Lily replied coldly. "I thought you were different. No - listen. Rose has a chance with a really nice guy. Don't you dare try to ruin this for her. Stay away from her."

She spun on her heel and stomped into the office, leaving a dejected Remus to follow behind her. He avoided looking at Lily, and sat next to the Ravenclaw prefects instead. He struggled to pay attention during the meeting, and was the first to leave when it was over. He rushed back to the Gryffindor common door and did not stop until he was safely in his dormitory.

He slammed the door shut behind him and sighed loudly, not realising that he wasn't alone.

"Moony?"

Remus jumped, startled by the unexpected interruption.

"James? What are you doing here? Weren't you meant to be exploring the castle with Sirius and Peter?" said Remus,as calmly as he could.

James shrugged.

"I wasn't in the mood. They went alone."

Remus suspected that James was upset about Lily rejecting him again and did not push the topic.

"What's wrong with you, anyway? You look horrible," said James, in an obvious attempt to change the topic.

"Sirius was right," said Remus dully as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "Brown asked out Rose, and she said yes. He even gave her a rose and everything. Smarmy git."

"She said yes?" James asked, looking surprised.

"Of course she did… she's been flirting with him for a while, hasn't she? That's why Sirius told me to move on," Remus said miserably. "I guess he will be happy, at least. He was right about her - she does fancy Brown."

James frowned.

"You know that's not why Sirius hates her, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't really have anything to do with Brown. He's hated her since you told him what she said about… you know, that no one would want to do it with a werewolf. He just doesn't want you to get hurt, Remus," said James. "And neither do I."

"It's too late for that," Remus replied miserably, before kicking off his shoes, swinging his legs up onto his bed and pulling his curtains closed.

* * *

"What are you going to wear?"

"What?"

Mary rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated.

"To the party! With Henry!"

"Oh. I thought I would just wear my school clothes?" Rose replied indifferently.

Mary's jaw dropped open.

"Your school robes?" she exclaimed indignantly, causing several students in the common room to stare at her. "You can't wear your school clothes to Slughorn's party! Don't you have any nice dresses?"

"Well, yes, but they are at home!" Rose said defensively.

"Right, let's go," said Mary, jumping up from her seat.

"Go where?" Rose asked, confused.

"To the owlery of course! You need to ask your mum to send your best dress, immediately!"

"Mary, I'm happy to wear my school robes," said Rose stubbornly.

Mary scowled.

"If you go in your robes, Henry will think that you don't fancy him."

"But I don't fancy him!" Rose exclaimed, feeling frustrated. Why was it so hard for Mary to understand?

"It doesn't matter! Besides, it's rude! You accepted his invitation, you need to at least make an effort to dress up. Everyone will be dressed up! Don't you want to look nice?"

Rose was about to say that no, she did not care if she looked nice or not, when she suddenly remembered that Remus was invited to Slughorn's party too. She did not know who Remus was going with, but she certainly couldn't risk his date looking better than she did. She stood up suddenly, startling Mary.

"You're right, I do want to look nice. Let's go," she said.

Mary, still looking surprised at her sudden change in tone, followed Rose without question.

Her dress did not arrive until that weekend. She had started to worry that her mother would not send it, when a large and lumpy package landed in front of her at breakfast that weekend.

"What's that?" asked Lily curiously.

"I think it's my dress for the party," Rose said excitedly as she read the note from her mother.

"Let's see then," she replied.

Rose hesitated. The news of her date with Henry had spread around the school, and, predictably, was the topic of interest for many students. Undoubtedly, opening her dress at the table would attract much unwanted attention.

"No, not now!" said Mary quickly. "Open it in the dormitory - we don't want anyone to see it before the party!"

They quickly finished their breakfast and took the package up to their dormitory. Rose carefully unwrapped the dress, anxious to get her friends opinions.

A light teal coloured dress feel onto her bed. Rose held it up and Mary and Lily could see that it had a beaded high neck silk bodice with capped sleeves and a full tulle skirt that looked like it would came to just below her knees. Her mother had also sent her an assortment of accessories and a pair of nice, white heels to wear with the dress.

"It's gorgeous!" gushed Mary as she ran a hand over the fabric. "Oh, Henry is going to just die when he sees you."

"I love it," said Lily in agreement.

Rose smiled as she carefully packed away the dress. There was no way Remus would be able to ignore her in that dress.

* * *

 **AN - thanks for reading! This was a bit of a short chapter but it sets the scene for some serious upcoming drama! As always, feedback appreciated.**


	19. Chapter 19

Rose was relieved that, other than the occasional 'good morning' and polite 'how are you?' Henry did not speak to her again until Friday evening - the night before the party.

"Oh, hello, Rose," he said, as they crossed paths while arriving at dinner, wearing his usual charming smile. "Are you as excited about tomorrow as I am?"

She forced a smile in reply.

"Of course," she replied.

"That's the spirit. Why don't you meet me in the Entrance Hall at half past six tomorrow evening, and we can go down to the party together?"

"Oh, but I thought the party starts at six pm?" replied Rose, frowning confused.

"It does - I like to be, er, fashionably late," he said, winking at her.

Rose thought that sounded rather silly but she decided not to press the issue.

"Oh, okay sure," Rose said awkwardly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Preparations for the party started the following day after lunch. Mary, who had insisted on supervising Rose, first ordered her to take a long hot bath.

"And remember, the hair lotion is in the purple bottle," Mary called through the bathroom door. "It goes on after you rinse of the conditioner - that's in the white bottle. Make sure it stays in for a full fifteen minutes - not a second less!"

After her bath, Mary and Lily joined forces. It took them an hour to finish her hair - a full head of carefully styled curls - and then Mary finished off her makeup while Lily dressed for the party (in an elegant peach coloured full length dress). Lily left at just before six - she did not have a date but was meeting Severus at the party. Rose had explained to them that Henry wanted to make a grand entrance and Mary had insisted that it was a great idea, though Lily had rolled her eyes.

"He's a little conceited, isn't he?" said Rose.

"Oh, I'm sure he just wants to show you off," Lily had assured her.

"Right, now let me help you into that dress," Mary said as she carefully pulled the dress out of the wardrobe.

Rose slowly slipped into the dress and Mary pulled the straps on the back of bodice and tied it in a elegant bow. She slipped on her shoes and Mary stepped back to appreciate her work.

"Wow," she said softly. "You look beautiful. Go ahead, look in the mirror."

Hesitantly, Rose stepped up the mirror and her breath caught in her throat as she looked at her reflection. For the first time in her life, she could see that she was a part-veela. Her soft curls framed her face perfectly. Her makeup was subtle - lovely shades of pink that complemented her delicate features. The dress itself fit her better than she remembered - she must have filled out in the time since she had last worn it.

Smiling, she hugged Mary.

"Thank you, Mary. I - I know you're upset that you couldn't go to the party. It means a lot to me that you would help me in this way."

"Oh, it's nothing," Mary said, grinning broadly. "Just promise me you will have a great time - and give Henry a chance. He's nice."

"I promise," said Rose, even as her thoughts drifted to Remus. She shook her head - her curls bounced across her face, startling her - and slipped her wand into a concealed pocket in her dress.

Mary looked her up and down a final time before nodding in approval. It was time.

"Let's go."

* * *

Remus was not at the party.

"Wouldn't you agree, Rose?"

Rose looked up abruptly, realising that Henry, Professor Slughorn and an old wizard whose names she could not remember were looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry?"

"You're a bit distracted today, aren't you?" asked Henry. "Is everything okay?"

Rose thought he was trying to sound genuinely concerned, but he seemed annoyed. She could hardly blame him. It was becoming increasing difficult for her to focus on anything with every passing minute. Much to her surprise, Remus was not at the party and, given that both James and Sirius had already arrived, it seemed unlikely that Remus would show up.

"I'm sorry. I'm fine," she said, forcing a sweet smile.

"Yes, I was just saying that Mr Brown simply must pursue a professional career in Quidditch after Hogwarts. It would be such a waste of talent, to see him sitting behind an office desk!" said Slughorn.

"Oh, yes, I agree," said Rose. "He's very talented."

"Thank you, Rose," replied Henry pompously. "But father does insist that I take up a position at the ministry. Although, I suppose I always pursue a ministry career after I retired from Quidditch. I've heard that Ludo Bagman is planning to do just that."

Henry, Slughorn and the wizard continued their discussion and Rose found herself lost in thought again. Their entrance had been just as dramatic as Henry had hoped. Every head had turned towards them, students promptly started their gossiping. Even Slughorn's guests were curious to meet the charming young couple. Unfortunately, Henry thrived on the attention and so she had no choice but to smile politely and make forced conversation as Slughorn introduced them to one guest after the other. Rose found the whole experience incredibly dull, made worse by the realisation that Remus was nowhere to be seen.

Rose turned back to watch Henry. She supposed he looked exceptionally handsome tonight. He wore dress robes of typical pureblood magnificence - dark, heavy and expensive. It was the same style of robes James and Sirius were wearing. However, despite Lily and Mary's insistence that Henry was a nice guy, she found him exceedingly unpleasant. He thrived on the attention of others. He showed her off as though she were a prized accessory, and his conversation always centred on himself. Rose could not help but bitterly compare him to Remus. She imagined that Remus would shun the attention - he would drag her away from Slughorn with some witty excuse, and led her to the dance floor where they would be lost amongst a sea of students. They would dance for hours, ignoring any one else, stopping only for drinks and snacks and to rest their feet. He would talk to her, value her for who she is, as a person, not as a trophy to be paraded.

" - yes, father dined with the Minister himself last week, he sent me a letter - the topic of the moment being the recent attacks by these so called Death Eaters - dreadful, absolutely, dreadful. The Minister was eager for fathers opinions on the matter, of course - father is worried the situation could escalate quickly if the ministry doesn't step in immediately. That's why father wants me to join the ministry, you see - it's the perfect timing for it. Just imagine! If I were part of the team to defeat him! Of course, father is completely determined that I should be involved -"

Rose could not handle the inane conversation for a second longer.

"Please excuse me for a moment," Rose said, not caring that she was interrupting Henry mid-sentence. "I just need to visit the ladies room. I won't be long."

She walked away before Henry could try to stop her. She had no need to use the restroom and instead made her way through the crowd of students along the edge of the dance floor and to the expansive refreshments table. Looking over the vast selection of cakes, sweets and drinks, Rose realised why Slughorn's parties were so popular - not only for the music and dancing but for the food.

Rose reached towards a tray of particularly decadent looking chocolate cupcakes before she stopped in her tracks. There was someone standing right next to the cupcakes. It was Remus. And he was looking right at her.

She froze. For the first time in weeks, Remus was actually looking at her. He looked lost for words. She could not help it - she smiled. A genuine, wide, happy smile. Remus seemed startled at her reaction, but smiled nervously back at her.

"Fancy a treat?" he asked, holding up one of the cupcakes for her.

"I would love one," she said softly, her eyes not leaving him a moment even as she took it from him. He looked more handsome than she had ever seen him. She was fairly certain his dress robes were not his - he must have borrowed it from James or Sirius - but he wore them with an elegance that many purebloods from the wealthiest of families would have failed to achieve.

"You look really nice," she said, before she could stop herself. She blushed, immediately regretting it.

Remus looked confused.

"Oh, um, thanks," he said awkwardly, and then added, as though as against his better judgement, "So do you. You looked lovely, Rose."

"Thank you," she said shyly, as she raised the cupcake to her lips and took a small bite to mask her smile.

"Are you enjoying the party?" Remus asked.

Rose grimaced in reply.

"Not really. Slughorn insisted on introducing us to almost all his guests. It's been mind numbingly boring, so far."

"I would have thought that would make for interesting conversation? Slughorn's guests are usually very accomplished," he replied.

Rose smiled sardonically.

"You'd think so," she said. "But all Henry did was talk about himself. He can be a bit, er -"

"Conceited? Self-absorbed?" Remus suggested, his lips twitched as he fought back a smile.

"That would be putting it mildly," Rose replied, not bothering to hide her own grin. "So, er, where is your date?" she asked tentatively, looking behind him as though she expected someone to suddenly appear by his side.

"My date?" Remus asked, looking surprised. "I don't have one."

It was Rose's turn to be surprised. Hadn't Sirius said that Remus liked someone else?

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't realise she said no."

"Who?" Remus asked, looking bewildered. "Rose, I don't know what you're talking about, but I didn't ask anyone to the party."

"You didn't?" she repeated slowly.

Remus shook his head.

"Oh. Right," she said, confused, but suddenly feeling elated. Maybe Sirius was wrong? Maybe Remus didn't like someone else… Not knowing what else to say, she took another bite of her cupcake and looked out over the dancefloor.

"It's pretty lively, isn't it?" said Remus as he followed her gaze. "I don't know this band, but they are pretty good."

"Yes, they are. Too bad Henry is too busy chatting up Slughorn - I would have really liked to dance," said Rose bitterly.

"Wouldyouliketodancewithme?" asked Remus. He said this so quickly that Rose was certain she misunderstood.

"Sorry?" she asked, her heart racing.

"Er, would you like to dance with me?" he said, this time more slowly as a blush spread across his cheeks.

"I would love to," Rose said, forcing herself not to sound too excited. She put down her half eaten cupcake and followed Remus onto the dancefloor.

The song playing was loud and fast paced, and Remus and Rose fell into a matching rhythm. Rose felt awkward - she did not know how to dance to this type of music, so she tried to copy the other girls around her. Unfortunately, none of the couples seemed to be actually touching each other for this song, but Rose tried to stand as close to Remus as she could without seeming too obvious.

The song soon came to an end and the dance floor quietened down.

"That was fun!" said Remus breathlessly. "I really liked that song."

"Me too," said Rose. A moment later, a new song started up. This one was slower than the last - much slower - and Rose noticed students all around her pairing up, and hands being placed on waists and shoulders. She looked uncertainly at Remus, but before she could find the courage to put an arm on his shoulder, a voice cut in.

"May I have this dance?"

And just like that, a smiling Sirius Black pushed Remus away and was standing in front of her, his hands on her waist. Rose stared at him in shock - but it was too late. Remus was already walking away from them.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't touch me!" she said angrily as she pushed his hands away from her.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him?" Sirius said, his eyes narrowed. He was no longer smiling. "You've been doing so well. Why stop now?"

Rose stared at him, dumbfounded.

"He spoke to me first! He asked me to dance! And you mind your own business!" Rose snapped, before storming off the dancefloor in search of Remus. She found him standing by the refreshments table, near her half eaten cupcake. Rose wasn't sure, but she thought he looked annoyed. She suspected - or perhaps hoped - that he had wanted to share that dance with her just as much as she did.

"What's his problem?" Rose asked as she joined Remus. But before he could answer, Rose overheard a familiar voice, and her head snapped around. It was Henry - he was talking to a friend nearby with his back towards her.

"Where is she?" he said, sounding angry. "She's been gone for ages."

"I saw her dancing with that fifth year Gryffindor, Remus Lupin," his friend replied.

"What? She told me she needed to use the loo!"

The friend shrugged.

"You must have bored her. Can't imagine talking to Slughorn for an hour would keep her interested. Guess she couldn't resist when someone finally asked her to dance, even if it is a scrawny Gryffindor git."

"That little whore! She really will sleep with anyone, won't she?"

"Well, that is why you asked her out, isn't it?"

Henry laughed cruelly. Rose was shaking. She couldn't stand to hear any more. Without looking at Remus, she walked, as calmly as she could manage, away from Henry and out of Slughorn's office.

The air of the dark, empty dungeon corridor shocked her as the door closed behind her, engulfing her in sudden silence. She stood still, willing herself to stop shaking, her hands balled in fists as she fought back the flames that threatened to burst from her palms.

The office doors flew open again and out stepped Remus - looking anxious and for some reason, extremely disheveled.

"Rose," he said, sounding relieved to have found. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, her hands still clasped tightly shut.

Remus looked at her hands and seemed to instantly understand. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry you had to hear that," he whispered to her. "You are so much better than that. You deserve better than him."

She allowed herself to breath in his scent and allowed herself to be calmed. What did it matter what Henry thought of her? Remus was hugging her - he was with her now, and that was all she cared about. Slowly, she felt herself regain control and she allowed her body to relax against his, her head resting on his chest. Slowly, tentatively, she looked up. He stared back at her, his expression raw, mirroring her own.

What happened next took them both by surprise. She wasn't sure how it happened - did he move first, or did she? Did it even matter? She was kissing him. And he was kissing her back.

* * *

 **AN - I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Rose and Remus certainly did! ;) As always, feedback is much appreciated. Thank you for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

It was Rose who broke the kiss - and only because she was breathless. She giggled nervously. She was ecstatic. It was better than she could have hoped for - not only did Remus finally notice her, he even kissed her!

"Wow," she said softly, as she clasped her hands together anxiously.

Remus looked stunned.

"Rose -" he started hoarsely, shaking his head. "Rose - no, I'm sorry."

Rose froze.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to - I shouldn't have -"

No. This could not be happening - not again. Not after he danced with her. Not after he _kissed_ her. Rose felt herself trembling.

"What are you saying? You - you kissed me, Remus," she said. She could hear the pain in her voice - Remus, who winced, appeared to have heard it to.

"I didn't mean -"

"No!" Rose cried. "No, you kissed me because you like me, Remus! Why can't you just admit it? Why does it have to be so hard with you?"

Remus looked desperate. He turned away from her, running his hands through his hair. He took in a deep breath before he turned to face her again.

"I don't like you that way, Rose," he said dejectedly. "I'm sorry. I - I just don't."

Rose stared at him in disbelief. She was no longer trembling - she was angry.

"I don't believe you," she said boldly, standing up tall. "I _know_ you like me, Remus Lupin. I don't know why you won't admit it, but you do. Nothing you say will convince me otherwise."

Remus simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Rose, but you're wrong. I don't," he said softly, before he turned around and walked away.

Rose watched until he disappeared around a corner, no longer able to stop her tears.

* * *

It was lucky the common room was empty. It was late - even those who stayed back late at the party had already gone to bed - when Remus was called down to the common room. Remus could not remember the last time he had seen Professor McGonagall so angry.

"Mr Brown was recently in the hospital wing with a broken nose. He claims that you punched him in the face. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr Lupin?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Professor. Madam Pomfrey has fixed worse," Remus said bitterly.

"You. Are. A. _Prefect_! Frankly, I am astonished that _you_ , of all students, would put on such a display of - of muggle dueling!" she said, her lips dangerously thin. "What were you _thinking_?"

"He called Rose a - a - well, something really horrible. He hurt her. He used her," said Remus, looking down at his feet as a blush crept across his face, as he waited for Professor McGonagall to resume her yelling. She was silent however, and Remus eventually looked up. To his disdain, he saw that her expression had softened. Was that pity?

"I thought you two were together?" she asked shrewdly.

Remus shook his head slowly.

"I - I couldn't. Not when she doesn't know. She went to the party with Brown."

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again, as though she had thought better of it.

"Detention, Mr Lupin. First thing after the Christmas break," she said briskly. "Now, off to bed."

Remus stood still as she walked towards the portrait hole. Before she stepped out, however, she turned to face him one last time.

"Miss Wilson deserves better than Mr Brown," she said softly. "Don't you think so, Remus?"

Remus was too confused to answer, and by the time he understood what she meant, she was gone. He sighed, and had turned towards the boys dormitory when a loud voice startled him.

"Remus Lupin!"

Remus froze. It was Lily Evans. An _angry_ Lily Evans. Who, in many ways, was much scarier than Professor McGonagall.

"How dare you!" she snapped, as he turned around to face her. She stormed down the final few steps of the girls staircase and came to a stop right in front of him.

"Oh, hello. I suppose you couldn't wait until the morning to yell at me?" he asked, smiling weakly. "Or did you hear McGonagall yelling at me and figure you should join in?"

Lily glared at him, apparently not appreciating his feeble attempt at humour.

"I can't _believe_ you! You've been ignoring her for weeks! As soon as she has a date with someone else, you're suddenly interested in her again! Stop sending her mixed messages, Remus! Can't you see how much you're hurting her?"

"What? _She's_ the one who stopped talking to me!" said Remus indignantly.

"Only because Sirius called her a bitch and told her to stay away from you! What else did you expect her to do?"

"Sirius did _what_?" he asked incredulously.

"Don't act like you don't know," she replied sharply.

"Lily, I have no idea what you're talking about! When did Sirius call Rose a bitch?"

Lily appeared to calm down as she considered him carefully.

"You really don't know?"

"No," said Remus as genuinely as he could. His heart was racing. What had Sirius done?

"Then I suggest you go talk to Sirius and find out why he has been such an arse to Rose lately."

"What did he do? Tell me."

"He told her that you like someone else - someone who isn't a bitch. He said that she was suffocating you."

"So that's why she was ignoring me?" said Remus in disbelief. "Because of Sirius?"

"You really didn't know?" asked Lily, her tone uncharacteristically gentle now that she seemed to believe him.

Remus laughed hollowly.

"How could I have known? Sirius - I can't believe this - Sirius told me that she didn't like me any more. That she was flirting with Henry Brown."

"Henry?" said Lily incredulously. "She _never_ flirted with him. Not once. The only reason she even went out with him was to try to make you jealous. And it worked, didn't it? You finally noticed her. Heck, a room full of people saw you punch _Henry_ _Brown_ in the bloody face for her!"

Remus felt himself blushing.

"N-No - it isn't like that. He called her a whore, Lily. He just wanted to sleep with her. He didn't care about her."

"Remus, you punch her date in the face because he hurt her. And you kissed her! Again! Why do you keep denying it, Remus? You fancy her!"

Remus considered her for a moment. She was right - he knew it was no good pretending. One kiss he could talk his way out of. But two? Lily was too shrewd to believe him.

"You wouldn't understand," he said quietly.

Whatever Lily had been expecting him to say, it was not that. This time, she stared at him, looking confused.

"What?" she said.

"You don't understand," he said again. "She can't know how I feel."

"But why not? She _really_ likes you, Remus."

"I know she does. But - I'm - I'm not good for her, Lily. She deserves better."

"Remus, where is this all coming from? You're a good, lovely person. How could you possibly not be good for her?"

"Please. Just trust me on this, Lily. I'm not what I seem. You can't tell her how I feel. Please. She needs to forget about me. It's better this way."

Lily simply looked at him, her expression one of confusion and concern. Eventually, she nodded.

"Thank you."

Remus watched as Lily retreated to the girls dormitory, where she had no doubt been comforting Rose moments earlier.

"It's for the best," he whispered to himself. Wasn't it?

* * *

The Christmas break was an unusually lonely time for Rose. She had become accustomed to the constant chatter and crowds at Hogwarts. In contrast, the isolated cottage by the sea that her parents had rented suffocated her. Before Hogwarts, the cottage and the small local muggle village had seemed quaint and delightful. Now, it felt like an open air prison. Admittedly, it wouldn't have been so bad, but her parents both worked during the day and they refused her permission to leave the home alone - something to do with attacks on muggles by a group of wizards called 'Death Eaters'.

"But why would they come here?" Rose asked her mother over dinner after a particularly tedious day at home one day. "To this tiny little town? They've only targeted the big cities -"

"That's not true, there was an attack in a small village not too far from here -"

"That was hardly small, and it was in Devon! We're in Cornwall -"

"One county away -"

"On the opposite end!"

"Rose. That's enough," her mother said sternly. "You're not to leave the property without us."

"Can't I at least go to Diagon Alley? While you work at the apothecary? Mary and Lily are both -"

"Muggle born! They are both Muggle born! It isn't safe for them to be out in public alone, not when they can't defend themselves. I hope you wrote to them like I told you too."

Rose was close to tears. She did not understand where this newfound paranoia was coming.

"Of course I didn't tell them?Can't you hear how crazy you sound? And besides, I can take care of myself! You know I'm brilliant at duelling. Dad taught me. I'm not afraid of a stupid gang -"

"They aren't just a stupid gang! You see? You can't even comprehend how dangerous these Death Eaters are. Your father works at the Ministry - he hears things that don't make the newspapers. Haven't you noticed that he isn't here for dinner most days? Haven't you wondered why? The least you can do is trust us when we tell you _it isn't safe_."

"Well it isn't fair! I'm losing my mind in here! I can't take it anymore!"

Her mother looked at her as though she pitied her. She put down her fork, focusing completely on her daughter.

"Rose. Darling. Is this because of that boy?" she asked gently.

Rose blushed involuntarily. She had not planned on telling her about Remus, but her mother had noticed her unusually deflated demeanour upon her return home.

"I can't stop thinking about him. Especially when I'm home alone with nothing to distract me."

Her mother sighed loudly.

"Rose. You mustn't let this boy upset you. He isn't worth it - no boy is," she said.

"Of course you would say that! Look at you! You're beautiful! Did any boy ever say no to you?" Rose replied rudely.

"Rose!" exclaimed her mother, looking shocked.

"I'm sorry, mum," Rose said quickly, feeling ashamed of herself. "It's - it's just that this is the first time I have really liked a boy - and I know he likes me too. I just don't understand why he denies it."

"Everyone has their secrets, Rose. This boy must have a reason why he can't be with you. Maybe, in time, you'll find out why. And maybe you won't. Have you considered just asking him why he won't go out with you?"

"Asking him?" Rose repeated, as though it were the strangest idea.

"Yes, ask him. He might not tell you what it is, but at least you'll have some closure."

"That's - that's actually a great idea," said Rose, brightly. "Thanks, mum."

And just like that, Rose had yet another reason to look forward to her return to Hogwarts.

* * *

 **AN - once again, thanks for reading!** **Feedback is appreciated. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

It was not until her second day back at Hogwarts that Rose was able to ask Remus if he had a 'secret'. She had pondered whether to ask him by letter before returning to school, but thought this option unwise. She suspected his initial reaction to the questioning would be more illuminating than anything he might have to day.

"Rose!" whispered Lily urgently.

Rose looked up sharply from her dinner, and saw that Lily was looking towards the doors of the Great Hall. Remus was leaving dinner early.

"This is your chance to talk to him in private!" said Lily. "About what your mum said."

"What are you waiting for?" said Mary quickly. "Get of your butt and corner him before he runs off."

Rose almost jumped out of her seat and, leaving behind her half eaten dinner, tried to act casual as she followed him out of the Great Hall.

"Remus!" she called out.

Remus jumped and slowly turned around, looking at her apprehensively, as though he didn't know what to expect. Up close, he looked very tired and she wondered if he was unwell again.

"How was your break?" she asked pleasantly.

"Okay, I guess. You?" he replied. He watched her cautiously, as though she might change her tone at any moment.

"Could've been better. My parents are really paranoid about that gang… you know, the Death Eaters. They wouldn't let me leave the house alone, and since they both work, I was basically stuck at home alone most of the time."

"I read about them in the paper a few times. It's horrible, isn't it? Except I'm not sure what it has to do with you. They only target muggles, don't they?"

"That's what I hold them," Rose replied, rolling her eyes. "But dad works at the Ministry so he knows a bit more than what the Daily Prophet is reporting. He thinks it's a lot more serious than people realise."

"Right," Remus said. He shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot.

"It's okay, Remus," said Rose gently.

"Sorry? What's okay?" he asked quickly.

"It's okay - I understand now. You can't go out with me because of your secret."

Remus looked horrified. He opened his mouth as though to say something, then quickly shut it again.

Rose laughed.

"So you do have a secret! I can't believe this - mum was right!"

Remus looked confused, but an expression of realisation slowly spread across his face. He looked unusually pale.

"Remus, are you okay? You look ill. Maybe you should go to the hospital wing?"

"What?" he asked, looking startled. "Oh. No - I'm not sick. I - I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Are you sure?" asked Rose, looking at him in concern. "Because you kind of look like you did the last time you were -"

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a touching reunion?"

Rose and Remus both jumped, startled by the interruption. It was Jacinta Fawley and her two friends.

"So the rumours are true. Tell me, what was happening in that vacant little head of yours when you decided to ditch the _delectable_ Henry Brown, and left the party with this pathetic excuse for a wizard?"

"Remus is my friend," Rose replied coldly.

"Oh, is that what they call it these days?" sneered Jacinta. "Were you and your _friend_ off to the nearest broom closet? Your usual room, I'm sure."

Rose, furious, raised her wand, but Remus beat her to it.

" _Expelliarmus_!" he shouted.

To her astonishment, Rose felt her wand plucked from her hand and watched in disbelief as Remus caught it. Rose felt her cheeks burn as Jacinta and her friends laughter echoed through the Entrance Hall.

"Looks like someone else might get to use the broom closet tonight, for a change," Jacinta chortled before she lead her friends away towards the dungeons.

Rose glared at Remus, unable to comprehend that he had just disarmed her.

"What on _earth_ were you thinking?" Rose asked as she snatched her wand from his arm. "You just humiliated me in front of Jacinta. She'll never let me live that down!"

"I'm a prefect - I can't just let you hex people, Rose," he muttered uneasily. Rose thought he seemed surprised at her outburst, but that only annoyed her more. "Besides, you'd have gotten detention if McGonagall finds out."

"So it's okay for _you_ to punch Henry, but I can't fight Jacinta?"

"Jacinta is really good at dueling. You could have been hurt," he replied seriously.

"I'm good at duelling too, Remus. I've told you that before! I can handle Jacinta," she scolded.

Remus did not reply, but Rose saw that he looked doubtful.

"You don't think I can duel, do you?" she said slowly, as the realisation dawned on her. "I can't _believe_ this! You think I'm just another pretty face, just like the rest of Hogwarts."

"Rose, no, of course not - I just mean that Jacinta is really skilled with the wand."

"So am I, Remus!"

"Well, I haven't seen any evidence of that," he replied, sounding frustrated.

Rose froze. She did not know whether to shout or cry. Remus - of all people - was doubting her? He seemed to realise that he said the wrong thing, and his expression softened.

"Rose - I didn't mean -"

"Disarm me," she said.

"What?" asked Remus, as though he was not sure he heard her correctly.

"Disarm me, Remus!" Rose demanded more loudly this time. "You wanted evidence, right? Well, this is it."

"Rose, you're being silly. Look, let's just -"

"I'm not leaving until you disarm me," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest.

Remus seemed reluctant but realised that Rose was serious. He sighed loudly before raising his wand.

" _Expelliarmus_!"

Rose quickly shot out her wand arm and blocks him non-verbally.

" _Expelliarmus_!" she cried, before victoriously snatching his wand from the air.

"There's your evidence," she said bitterly. She dropped the wand at his feet, and Remus, quickly recovering from his astonishment, called out to her. But it was too late. Too distressed to stay, Rose threw open the castle doors and ran out onto the snow-covered grounds. She allowed her feet to lead her to a tree by the lake, where she knew she would be well hidden. Wrapping her cloak tightly around her against the biting cold, she wondered resentfully whether Remus would report her for being on the grounds at sunset.

No one came. She was alone, once again, with nothing but her thoughts for company. How could Remus have disrespected her in such a way? Did he really think she was so incapable of defending herself, even though she told him that she was adept at dueling? Had he assumed that she was exaggerating, or - worse - suspected that she over estimated her skill? Disarming him had been too easy - and strangely satisfying - but it did not make up for the way he had embarrassed her in front of someone who was looking for any chance to insult her.

A flutter of wings startled Rose out of her thoughts. An owl landed in front of her. She recognised it immediately - it belonged to James. But why would he be writing to her? She untied a carefully folded piece of parchment from the owl's leg. It hooted appreciatively and took off - no doubt eager to return to the warm castle. She hastily opened the piece of parchment. Her eyes widened in surprise. The letter was not from James. It was from Remus.

' _Dear Rose._

 _I'm sorry - I underestimated you, and I was wrong to do so. You have clearly been hiding some wicked dueling skills. Please come back into the castle - I would hate for you to get sick because of my stupidity._

 _Sincerely, Remus._ '

Rose read the note a second, and then a third time. Her smiled broadened with each re-read. She carefully folded the parchment along its original crease lines and slipped it into her pocket.

CRUNCH.

Footsteps. She looked up, certain she had been caught, but the distant silhouettes did not seem to notice her. Her heart racing, Rose carefully positioned herself against the tree before chancing another glance. Two people were walking in the direction of Hagrid's cabin - one was tall and lean, the other was short and stout. Just was she was thinking that it was an odd time to visit Hagrid, the taller person turned his face. Rose barely managed to stifle her gasp. It was Remus. As they drew closer, she also recognized Madam Pomfrey. At length they came to a stop near a tree - Rose recognised it as the violent Whomping Willow. They were close enough that Rose could only just hear their conversation.

"Would you like me to go with you?" Madam Pomfrey asked Remus kindly.

"No, I should be fine," Remus replied. He looked agitated and his eyes kept darting across the grounds. "And there isn't enough time. I should just go," he said, looking up at the night sky as though searching for something.

Rose listened in bewilderment. Where was Remus going?

"If you're sure, dear, then I'll be back in the morning to collect you, as always," she said. And then - Rose's jaw dropped - she _hugged_ him. "You take care, now."

She lifted her wand and cast an incantation at the base of the tree. The Whomping Willow froze. Remus took a tentative step forward and disappeared into the tree trunk. Rose blinked her eyes rapidly, certain they must be playing tricks on her. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and the tree sprung back to life.

Rose remained hidden until she saw Madam Pomfrey step back into the castle, before she sprung to her feet and ran towards the Whomping Willow. She could not get close, of course, but she even at that distance there was no sign of the hole Remus had disappeared through. She stared, wide-eyed, not knowing what to do. It was the most bizarre thing she had even seen. Why would Remus need to disappear into a tree? And why would Madam Pomfrey need to collect him in the morning?

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Rose decided that James, Sirius and Peter would surely know what was happening. She carefully crept back into the castle, and almost ran up all the way up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. However, when she was only a corridor away, as she ran around a corner, she unexpected collided into something - something _invisible_ \- and went hurtling to the ground, landing on whatever it was that she had ran into.

Rose screamed, and to her surprise, she heard muffled noises coming from beneath her. She jumped to her feet, her heart racing, and was shocked to see to pairs of bodiless legs kicking on the ground.

"Ouch! Get off me!" a voice snapped.

"You get off me!" another voice replied.

"James?" Rose said incredulously. "Sirius?"

The two legs froze and slowly, and suddenly, a watery looking cloak appeared before her and James and Sirius appeared from within it. They climbed tentatively to their feet. For some reason, a rat was sitting on James's shoulder. For the second time that evening, Rose was speechless.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes," James replied, "It's a family heirloom. Er, it's kind of against the school rules so I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about it. Not even Evans."

"Of course. Why do you have a rat on your shoulder?" she asked, eyeing the creature curiously.

"Never mind that," Sirius said quickly. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Oh, I - I was looking for - looking for -," Rose paused, deciding quickly on a believable lie. "Remus. I was looking for Remus."

"Remus?" Sirius asked, frowning suspiciously. "Why?"

"I, er, wanted to talk to him," she said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with the two boys. She hoped that Remus did not tell them about the fight. "Have you seen him?"

"He sick -" James started, but at the same time, Sirius said, "He's visiting his mum -"

The two boys looked at each other and then Sirius said lamely, "He's sick and so is his mum, so he went to visit her."

Rose raised an eyebrow. She knew that they knew that she did not believe them.

"Oh. And does Remus' mum happen to live in a tree?" she asked sarcastically.

James and Sirius stared at her, wide-eyed. Rose though she must be imagining it, but even the rat seemed to be staring at her intently.

"What are you talking about?" asked James.

Rose sighed.

"Look, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about. I just saw Remus disappear into the trunk of the Whomping Willow, and Madam Pomfrey told him that she will back to collect him in the morning."

Rose had never seen James and Sirius look so pale. For once, they seemed lost for words.

"Oh, um, well about that - " started Sirius.

"You see, the thing is - er - " stuttered James.

"Well?" said Rose.

Sirius looked at James.

"I've got nothing," said Sirius dejectedly.

James looked at Rose shrewdly.

"Rose, please, you can't tell anyone what you just saw," he said.

"But why did - "

"We don't know," he replied firmly. "Don't look at me like that - we don't know anything. We just know that he has to disappear sometimes, but we don't know why."

"You don't?" Rose said, frowning.

James and Sirius both shook their heads. Rose was pretty sure that they were lying, but she knew better than to press the point. Instead, she bid them goodnight and retreated to the Gryffindor common room, while they slipped back underneath the cloak. She was tempted to follow them, but knew it would be impossible. Instead, she made her excused to Lily and went up to her dormitory, where she sat at the windowsill and tried to find the Whomping Willow, but the grounds were now cloaked in darkness. Fortunately, a short while later, a cloud shifted, and the grounds were illuminated in the moonlight. She looked up at the night sky and was grateful for the light provided by the full moon. She scanned the grounds and shortly spotted the Whomping Willow. For a second, it had looked like the tree was frozen again, but she thought it must have been a trick of the light because a moment later it was moving.

Remus was keeping a secret from her - she was sure of it - and James and Sirius definitely knew what it was. She could not be certain, but it only made sense that the evening's events must be linked to the reason why Remus refused to admit her feelings for her. She thought back to the way Remus had looked up and the sky before he disappeared into the tree and she looked up again. Had he been searching for something? However, there nothing out of the ordinary in the night sky. Other than the full moon, there was a scattering of clouds and some stars.

She remembered how tired Remus had been that morning. She supposed Madam Pomfrey must have noticed, since she had walked him outside, and wondered if it was somehow related to the current predicament. Surely if Madam Pomfrey was the one to collect him, that meant he would sick? But if he was sick, surely he would be in the hospital wing, not inside a tree. Above her, a cloud shifted in front of the moon and the grounds fell into darkness once more. Rose looked up the night sky and was suddenly reminded of that day when she worked with Remus on an assignment on werewolves. He has not wanted to work with her on that assignment, she remembered, and was acting rather awkwardly... almost as if he was... hiding something.

Rose gasped, sitting up straight. It was like the pieces of jigsaw puzzle were suddenly falling into place. A full moon. Remus feeling tired. Remus, alone, in a secret tunnel under a dangerous tree. Remus, collected by Madam Pomfrey. In the morning. James, Sirius, swearing her to secrecy.

Rose was shaking. It couldn't be, it just couldn't... but even as she refused to believe it, it all made sense. It fit - the pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen into place.

Remus Lupin is a werewolf.


	22. Chapter 22

No.

It couldn't be. Not her Remus. Not sweet, kind, intelligent Remus. How could he be - a - a _that_?

But even as she fiercely denied it, affirmations, one after the other, forced themselves to the front of her mind.

 _He's always tired._ He's just sickly -

 _Then why isn't he in the Hospital Wing?_ He's just ill, and needs to get away.

 _Away to a violent tree, to keep him in, and to keep others out._ He just needs some privacy.

 _Sirius and James lied about where he is._ Because - because -

Her internal dialogue raged on and on and on, until finally she was interrupted by Lily retreating to their dormitory.

"Rose?" she exclaimed, looking shocked to see her there. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Remus?"

Rose forced her eyes away from the Whomping Willow and turned to face Lily.

"W-what?" she stuttered in reply, wide eyed.

"Rose, what's wrong? You look like death!" asked Lily urgently. "No - don't tell me. Remus was horrible to you again, wasn't he?"

Rose, not knowing what else to say, merely nodded.

"Oh, Rose," sighed Lily. "You poor girl. Come on, let's get you changed and into bed. You're exhausted."

Rose did not object and allowed Lily to steer her to the bathroom, where she slowly washed and changed into her pyjamas. When she returned to the dormitory, she found Lily sitting with Mary. They were having a hushed argument - no doubt about her - but they both plastered false smiles on their faces when they saw her.

"I'm not going to have a breakdown," said Rose, a forcing a sort of half smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

"We're just worried about you, Rose," said Mary empathetically. "You haven't been yourself lately and tonight - well, just _look_ at you. You're all pale and clammy. You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"I see ghosts here everyday," replied Rose dryly.

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

"Look, now isn't the time for this," said Lily gently. "Rose, you need your rest. We can continue this conversation tomorrow."

Rose happily obliged, slipping quickly into bed and closing her drapes before Mary had a chance to object. She could only just hear Lily and Mary continue their hushed conversation. She wasn't interested - without the distractions, her mind had slipped back into its internal monologue. Is he, or isn't he?

There was only one way to find out. Sleep escaping her, she waited patiently until the soft breathing of the other girls confirmed that they were asleep. She carefully pulled back her drapes and wrapped herself in her warmest cloak and slipped on her thickest socks - her school shoes would certainly be too noisy.

As silently as she could, she snuck out of the girls dormitory, not daring to breath until she was in the silent common room.

Where to first? The boys dormitory. She had to know if Remus was in bed, sleeping peacefully, obvious to her raging suspicions.

Anxiously - how would she explain being caught in the boys dormitories in the depth of the night? - she crept up the boys staircase until she came across a sign that read 'Fifth years'. She placed an ear on the door, listening for any sign of life. Nothing. No talking, no snoring, no breathing. Just silence. She knocked loudly on the door, ready to run if anyone inside steered. Still nothing. She tried again. Silence.

She took in a deep breath and slowly, her heart racing, turned the knob and opened the door to the dormitory. Her heart sank. It was completely empty.

He's still in the tree. But where were the others? If Remus really was transformed, they couldn't be with him. She suspected that James and Sirius hadn't returned after she quite literally bumped into them in the hallway, and supposed that Peter had joined them at some stage. She remembered the rat on James' shoulder, and for a wild moment speculated whether it was bait for Remus.

No! Remus is not a _we_ \- _were_ -

But she couldn't bring herself to even think the word. It was too horrible to even consider. She needed to know for certain, and so, she decided, she would need to follow them. She had no way of returning to the grounds, so instead she left the common room and found an empty classroom on the second floor that looked out onto grounds. She was high enough that she could see across the grounds, but close enough that she could run down to the Entrance Hall in time to sneak a glance at Remus.

She sat there for hours, waiting and watching, until the sun started to rise and finally the moon disappeared beyond the horizon. Minutes later, she saw the first sign of movement from the corner of her eye. She snapped her head towards the castle doors and there was Madam Pomfrey half walking, half running, towards the Whomping Willow. She waved her wand and the tree froze in animated suspension. Rose watched with bated breath, waiting for Remus to emerge, but he did not. Instead, Madam Pomfrey crawled into the Whomping Willow. Moments later, she returned, now accompanied by a body on a stretcher, covered head to toe in white sheets.

"Oh my God," breathed Rose.

 _This isn't right… something is not right._

It was reckless - it was stupid - but she could not help it. She had to know. If she wanted to see Remus she would need to get to the hospital before they did. So she ran - as silently as she could, praying that she would not be caught, and did not stop until she was safely inside the hospital wing.

Fortunately, it was empty, and all the beds were made. One bed at the back of the room caught her eye. The sheets were pulled back and a number of flasks were sitting in the bedside table, as though waiting for a patient… looking closely, she recognized one as a sleeping potion, but wasn't sure about the other two. Besides them sat a ominously large stack of bandages and sponges.

Not knowing where else to hide, she crawled under Madam Pomfrey's desk. She wouldn't be able to see, but at least she could clearly hear what was happening.

She did not have to wait long. Minutes later, the doors to the hospital wing creaked opened and she heard Madam Pomfrey's footstep come nearer.

"There you go, Remus. Careful now… that's right. Now, let's see the damage… much better than last month... just a few scratches… right, and the potions… excellent. If you need anything, I'll be in the next room. Just ring the bell if you need me."

Rose heard the sound of drapes being drawn, and then Madam Pomfrey's retreating footsteps, and the sound of a door softly closing.

She waited another minute, in case she came back, and knowing that Remus would be fast asleep thanks to the potion, carefully slipped out from under the desk. As she expected, she drapes were fully closed around his bed. Not daring to breath, her hands shaking, she carefully pulled open the drapes just enough to see inside.

And there was Remus, lying on his back, his face turned so that he was facing her, his eyes closed.

He looked like death. He was pale - _so_ pale. His hair was wet with sweat, and stuck to his forehead. The stack of bandages was much smaller than it had been before they had arrived.

He looked like he had been dragged through hell and back.

He opened his eyes. Rose froze, horrified, as his gaze met hers. He stared at her in equal horror.

"R-Rose?" he croaked.

Not knowing what else to do, she pulled the drapes shut and turned around and ran. She ran and ran and ran - not caring who might hear her - until she reached the common room and was safely tucked under the sheet of her bed.

She couldn't deny it any more. She knew. And from the look on his face, he knew that she knew.

* * *

"You didn't sleep, did you?" asked Lily, looking at Rose with narrowed eyes. To her credit, she had at least waited until Astrid and Norma had left the dormitory before initiating her interrogation.

"What gave it away?" Rose muttered in reply as she brushed her hair.

"You look like crap," she replied, smiling apologetically. "You're still upset about Remus, aren't you?"

"I don't want to talk about him," replied Rose, her heart racing at the mention of his name.

"Rose -"

"No!" she snapped, before taking a deep breath and saying more calmly. "No. I'm done. Please, Lily. I - I - can't. He's made himself clear. He isn't interested. I think it's time I got the message and just left him alone."

Lily didn't push the point, but Rose saw her exchange a worried look with Mary when they thought she wasn't looking.

Remus was not at breakfast. Rose could not stop fidgeting as she ate. Her stomach did a sort of somersault every time someone walked into the Great Hall, and she almost dropped her spoon when James, Sirius and Peter arrived. Remus was not with them.

"Rose, your hand is _shaking_ ," said Mary, frowning. "What is wrong with you today?"

"N-nothing," replied Rose, unconvincingly, as she tried, and failed to stop her hands from shaking.

Why was she so afraid?

 _You should be afraid - he's a bloody monster!_ No! No, he's Remus. Just Remus.

 _Just Remus the werewolf. And he knows that you know - what do you think he will do to you?_ Remus would never hurt me.

 _This is why he won't go out with you, because he's a freak and he knows it!_

"No!" Rose cried, dropping her spoon.

"Rose? What's wrong?"

Mary and Lily were looked startled, and she noticed the students seated around them staring at her.

"I'm sorry - nothing. Nothing's wrong," she muttered, picking up her spoon again and forcing herself to finish breakfast.

Remus did not appear in the mornings herbology class, a fact that Lily quickly picked up on.

"You don't suppose he's sick again, do you?" she heard her whisper to Mary as the paired worked together to defang a Fanged Geranium. Neither girl seemed to notice that Rose had returned with the additional pliers.

Mary shrugged in reply.

"When isn't he sick? And if it isn't him, it's his mum. Or his bunny."

"His bunny?" asked Rose, curiously.

Mary and Lily started.

"Er, yeh. Apparently he has a really naughty bunny rabbit. James sometimes calls it his furry little problem," said Mary, smirking.

"Remus never once mentioned that he has a rabbit," said Rose. Of course, that wasn't the only secret he was keeping from her.

"I don't think he really talks about it much," said Lily, looking pointedly at Mary, before turning back to Rose. "Did you bring the extra pliers? Good, let's get started on this thing."

Remus still had no reappeared by the time dinner was over and Rose assumed that he must be spending an extra night in the hospital wing. She had no idea how long his recovery would take, but he had looked very ill when she last saw him.

That evening, she sat by the fire with Lily and Mary, pretending to read her transfiguration textbook while the other girls studied. Her thoughts were with Remus again, as she wondered if he was seriously injured, or just exhausted from him transformation.

"Hey, Evans."

Startled out of her thoughts, Rose looked up and saw James running his hand through his hair as he smirked at Lily, taking a seat on the sofa opposite them. He was quickly joined by Sirius and Peter and, to her absolute horror, Remus.

Rose could not help but stare at Remus as he sat down between James and Sirius (Peter had stretched out on the floor). He looked better than that morning, but he was still pale and tired looking. He propped open a textbook on his lap and started reading. He didn't look at her.

Lily ignored James, and also directed her gaze at Remus.

"How are you, Remus? Have you been sick again?"

Remus nodded slowly, not looking up from a textbook.

"I'm better. Thanks for asking."

"Anyone up for a game of gobstones?" asked James, as though Lily hadn't just completely ignored him.

"I'm in!" said Mary excitedly, slamming her textbook shut, though her smile faltered as Lily glared at her. "Oh, come on, Lily! We deserve a break. Besides, don't you want to beat James?"

Lily looked reluctantly at James, who seemed unsure whether he should be glad that Lily was considering the invitation, or insulted that she only cared about beating him.

"Oh, fine. Just _one_ game," she said reluctantly.

"What about the rest of you? Rose? Remus?" asked James as he started to set up the game.

Rose, startled to hear her name mentioned together with Remus, accidently dropped her textbook.

"Actually, I just remembered I forgot my textbook in the library," she lied, not making eye contact with anyone as she grabbed her bag and stood up. "I really need to go and get it before curfew starts."

She walked off as quickly as she could without seeming too suspicious.

"What's her problem?" she heard Sirius ask as she crawled through the portrait hole.

The portrait closed behind her and Rose stood still in her spot, her eyes closed as she took in deep, calming breaths. It was worse than she expected. She had no idea how to act around him. How could she just like everything was okay, like he was just Remus, when she knew what she knew? Her legs quivering, she made her way to the closest unused classroom and took a seat inside by the window. It was dark outside. She realised that the sun had set, but the moon had not yet risen. She turned her back to the window - she did not want to see the moon when it rose.

"It's just Remus," she muttered to herself. "Just Remus. Remus who likes chocolate. Remus who likes to help people. Remus who makes witty jokes. Remus who likes to study. Just Remus. Just Remus."

A harsh tapping sound startled her from her thoughts. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realised that someone was knocking on her door.

* * *

 **AN - thanks for reading! And so sorry about the delay. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23

"What's her problem?" asked Sirius, looking expectantly at Lily.

"Don't ask me!" she retorted. "Ask your friend! She hasn't been herself since she spoke to Remus last night. And she's been a nervous, anxious mess all day."

Everyone looked at Remus, whose eyes were fixed on his textbook in a feeble attempt to pretend that he wasn't listening. He too looked pale and anxious. At first, Sirius had assumed it was due to the transformation, but now that he saw the state Rose was in, he suspected Remus was hiding something from them.

"Well? Care to explain, Remus?" asked Lily coolly. "What have you done this time?"

Remus snapped his textbook shut, taking everyone by surprise. He grabbed his bag and, without looking at anyone, stormed off to the boys dormitory.

Lily stared at the boys staircase, gobsmacked.

"Nice one," said Sirius sarcastically as he stood to follow Remus. "Why do you always blame him? Ever consider this is Rose's fault?"

He ignored Lily's indignantly reply and stormed up to their dormitory. He found Remus sitting on the edge of his bed, his head resting in his arms. He was no longer trying to maintain his composure - he was clearly distressed. His breathing was loud, quick and shallow. Concerned, Sirius sat on his own bed, directly opposite Remus.

"Remus? What's going on?" he asked.

His mumbled something that Sirius could not understand.

"What was that?" asked Sirius, frowning.

"Sh-she knows," Remus croaked.

Sirius suddenly felt very, very cold.

"What?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.

Remus finally looked up at Sirius.

"She knows, Sirius. She knows what I am," he said, looking completely hopeless.

Sirius jumped up and swore loudly. He kicked his school bag.

"How do you know? Did she tell you about last night?"

Remus looked confused.

"What happened last night?"

"She saw you!" he shouted. "She saw you go into the Whomping Willow! She asked us about it. We told her we didn't know. She must have figured it out herself. What did she say to you?"

"Nothing. She didn't say anything. She was in the hospital wing this morning - she must have been waiting for me. She saw me. She looked completely _terrified_."

Sirius stopped pacing abruptly.

"Wait - so she didn't say anything?" he asked sharply. "You don't know for a fact that she figured it out?"

"No - but she definitely knows. Her face - she was scared, Sirius. She was afraid of _me_ ," he said, unable to mask his disdain.

"Right," said Sirius as he thought hard. "Right. I'm going to go talk to her."

Remus looked startled at this pronouncement.

"What? No! Sirius, please!"

"Remus. I have to find out what she knows. And more importantly, make sure she doesn't tell anyone!"

Remus looked uncertain, but nodded.

"Take the map. It's in James' trunk."

Sirius took the map as well as the invisibility cloak.

"What do you need that for?" asked Remus, looking confused.

"Just in case," said Sirius, before adding bitterly. "It doesn't matter anyway, she saw the cloak yesterday too. And Wormtail - at least that's one secret she doesn't know yet. I _told_ you to stay away from her. You should have just _listened_ to me! You're lucky she hasn't told the whole school already!"

Remus looked pained.

"Don't you think I know that? I kissed her - I _kissed_ her! Twice!" he exclaimed, looking disgusted at himself. "She probably hates me for doing that to her. Who in their right mind would want to kiss someone like me?"

Sirius suddenly felt ashamed at himself. He clapped a hand down on his friends quivering shoulder.

"You're too good for her, Remus," he said gently. "You know that, right? Any girl would be lucky to have you."

Remus did not reply and Sirius decided it was time to leave. He had to find Rose, before it was too late.

* * *

Her hands trembling, Rose opened the classroom door.

There was no one there. Confused, she stepped outside and looked up and down the corridor, but it was empty. Thinking that Peeves must be playing games with her, she went back into the classroom and closed the door, returning to her place by the windowsill.. Outside, a cloud shifted and the almost full moon illuminated the school grounds. She stared at it with mixed emotions. It was beautiful - but it terrified her. How could something so beautiful, so majestic, cause such terror?

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Rose screamed at the sound and spun around, shocked to see Sirius standing right behind her.

"How - What -" she sputtered, and then she noticed the invisibility cloak in his hands. "How did you find me?" she asked. Her voice trembled in fear and Sirius knew it. He smirked and took an intimidating step close to her. She instinctively took a step back, and found herself pressed against the windowsill.

"It doesn't matter," he said, before standing besides her and looking up at the night sky. "Not as beautiful as it was yesterday, of course."

Rose felt her heart racing. Did he know? Did Remus tell him about this morning? She chose not to reply. Rose knew that the look on her face was the only confirmation Sirius needed.

'This is why I tried to break you two apart," he said coldly. His expression was calculating as he examined her.

'W-What?"

"You know, don't you?" he asked suddenly. "You know why he left the school yesterday."

Rose nodded slowly.

"What is it? Tell me," he demanded.

Rose didn't reply.

"Tell me!"

Rose shook her head. She couldn't say those words out loud.

"Just say it, Rose. Or are you so afraid of him, you can't say the words out loud?"

"No - no -"

"Or are you disgusted? Is that why you haven't told anyone yet? You can't stand the shame of everyone knowing that you kissed someone like him!"

"Shut up - no - stop -" pleaded Rose.

"Not until you say it!"

"No -"

"Say it!"

"He's a werewolf!" she screamed.

The silence that followed was deafening and Rose could contained herself no longer. She slipped into a nearby chair, and buried her face in her arms. She was sobbing.

"I hope you're happy," said Sirius bitterly after a long silence. "You've completely destroyed him. Years - we spent _years_ gaining his trust. Years - reversing all the damage that elitist scum like you have done to his self-esteem."

"S-stop - please -" said Rose through her tears.

"One minute you're drooling all over him, the next he's nothing to you - worse, he's a monster! This is his reward for loving you!"

Rose was so shocked that she stopped crying.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"I told him. I told him to stay away from you - that you're no good for him. And I was right, wasn't I? You hate him, and now he's sitting all alone in his dormitory, absolutely _devastated_."

"You're wrong," she said boldly.

"About what?"

"I don't hate Remus. I could _never_ hate him - even if he is a - a - werewolf."

Sirius looked stunned.

"You don't hate him?"

"Of course not."

"Do you still want to be his friend?"

"I would love that," she said truthfully.

"Do you - do you still want to go out with him?" he asked uncertainly.

Rose nodded hesitantly.

"Then why did you run away?"

"It's overwhelming! I don't know what to say to him! How do you even have that conversation?" she cried. "Hey Remus, are you a werewolf, by any chance? And then there's his behavior - he's anxious, and withdrawn, just like I expected. He couldn't even look at me."

"Because he thinks you hate him!"

"But I don't!"

"Do you really mean it? Do you really still like him?" he asked shrewdly, considering her carefully.

"Yes."

"Then take this," he said, handing her the invisibility cloak. "Put it on, and go to him. He's in our dormitory."

Rose looked startled.

"Talk to him? No, I don't think -"

"Rose. He is broken. He hates himself. You _need_ to talk to him," he insisted, still holding out the cloak. "Please," he added softly.

Rose felt a pang of guilt, and reluctantly took the cloak - it felt light and smooth and cool. She looked uncertainly at Sirius.

"I don't think I can do it. I'm not ready," she said anxiously.

"I'm worried about him. He's not coping."

Rose gulped before nodding slowly. She swung the cloak over her shoulders and over her head. Looking down, she saw that her body had completely vanished. It was a strange sensation.

"Can you see me?" she asked.

"No. Now, stick close behind me. I'll lead you to the dormitory. And whatever you do, do not bump into anyone or let anyone see you. If anyone finds out about that cloak, James will kill me."

Rose nodded before remembering that he couldn't see her.

"Right, lead the way."

Crawling through the portrait hole proved tricky - her foot might have been visible for a moment but no one seemed to notice. Maneuvering through the common room was even more challenging - it was very busy, as it usually was after dinner. She stuck as close to Sirius as she could without actually touching him.

Just when she thought they had made it, a fourth year girl who's name Rose didn't know ambushed Sirius and tried to flirt with him.

"Not now, Frances!" he said irritably, brushing her aside. Rose followed closely behind him before Frances, who looked deeply offended, tried to follow him. They finally made it to the boys staircase, and only stopped when they reached their dormitory door.

Rose pulled the cloak away from her face.

"You should go apologize to that girl. She looked upset," whispered Rose.

Sirius brushed her off.

"Forget her - you've got more important things to worry about. Don't screw this up. Good luck," he said before walking down the staircase.

Rose slowly slipped off the cloak before knocking on the dormitory door. Her hands were trembling. What would she say to him? She hugged the invisibility cloak tightly against her.

The door slowly opened and there stood Remus, pale and anxious. He looked absolutely terrified when he saw her.

"Can I come in?" she asked hesitantly.

Remus looked like he wanted nothing more than to close the door in her face, but he hesitantly stood aside.

She walked into the dormitory and stood awkwardly in her spot. Remus closed the door and, without looking at her, walked over to his bed. He sat down on the edge and, still not looking at her, indicated for her to take a seat opposite him. She sunk down into the bed - she couldn't be sure who it belonged to - and looked at Remus intently. He sat completely still, his gaze fixed in his hands which were clasped anxiously in his lap. He looked so sad that Rose knew she had to end his pain as quickly as she could.

"Remus," she said gently. "I know that you're a werewolf."

He flinched as though someone had tried to strike him in the face.

"I'm s-sorry," he said, his voice shaking, still not looking at her. "I'm sorry - I had no right to - to ki - I'll - I'll stay away from you, I swear, I will. I won't talk to you. I won't even look at you. Just - _please_ \- don't tell anyone about me."

Rose felt heartbroken. She had never seen Remus in such a state - so raw, so _vulnerable_.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Remus. And I don't want you stay away from me. You're my friend."

Remus finally looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"You want to be my friend?" he asked in wonder.

Rose nodded.

"You - you don't hate me?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course not."

"But Rose, I'm a - a monster. You understand that, right?"

"Oh, Remus. You're no monster. You're the kindest boy I've ever meet. You're intelligent, you're witty, you're brave. You're - you. Just you."

He smiled shyly, as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing. She smiled back sadly at his reaction - it hurt her to see his insecurity.

"This is why you won't go out with me, isn't it? You thought I would leave you - hate you - if I ever found out?"

Remus nodded, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Well, I know now," she said, her heart racing.

Remus looked confused.

"Er, right," he said.

"Sirius said that you fancy me," she said.

His blush deepened and he looked down at his hands in resignation.

"I'm sorry - I - I did - _I do_ \- I mean, I understand that you won't - that we can't -"

"I won't what?"

"That you won't want to go out with me, any more. That we should just be friends. That's what you want, right? To be friends?" he asked, looking at her anxiously as though worried she had changed her mind.

"No, not really."

"You don't?" he asked, looking deflated. "But I thought - you just said -"

Rose sighed loudly.

"Oh, Remus. Are you really this oblivious?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Rose stood up and sat besides him. He took in a sharp breath as he looked down into her eyes. Marvelling at her own daring, she kissed him gently on the lips.

"You can't say no this time," she whispered.

His eyes were wide in surprise and clouded with confusion as he stared at her.

"What are you doing?" he breathed.

"I think I just kissed you."

"But - but why?"

"Because I like you. And I want to be with you."

"But I'm a we - we -"

"I think we already established that I know what you are, Remus. And I don't care."

Still looking uncertain, Remus kissed her chastely on the lips. He pulled away quickly, and his eyes flickered up to meet hers, as though to see her reaction, and she smiled at him.

"You didn't back away," he said softly.

"I hate to tell you this, Remus, but you're kind of stuck with me," she said, smiling.

Remus looked at her in amazement, before pressing his lips to hers once again. This time, he didn't pull away. Soon - she wasn't sure how - they were lying on the bed, a breathless, urgent tangle of arms and legs. It was not until Remus slipped a hand under her shirt, and she felt the burning touch of his warm skin against hers, that she returned to her senses.

She pulled her lips away from his. His lips were red and raw, his hair disheveled.

"I think we need to slow down," she said softly. Her voice was surprisingly raspy.

"I'm sorry," he said, quickly pulling himself away from her and sitting on the edge of the bed. Feeling robbed of his warmth, she sat up close to him.

"Don't apologize. That was - um, very nice," she said, blushing.

"It was," he said in agreement, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks.

Feeling pleased, though somewhat flustered, Rose looked away while she tried to compose herself. She looked around the room properly for the first time. She saw that while Remus' bed was neat and tidy, she could not say the same about the other boys.

"Where do you keep your bunny?" she asked curiously.

To her surprise, Remus laughed.

"You've heard about that, have you?"

"Mary told me. Can I see it?"

"I hate to disappoint you, Rose, but I don't have a bunny. Er, my furry little problem refers to, you know, my condition."

"Oh!" exclaimed Rose. "Right."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, before Rose suddenly remembered something.

"Remus?" she said tentatively.

"Yes, Rose?"

"I think I owe you an apology. I said some really horrible things, when you were tutoring me, and I realise now how it must have upset you. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault - you didn't know. You don't still feel that way, do you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course not!" she said quickly, with a pang of guilt. "You're the same Remus I've always known. You've just got a - a furry little problem, that's all. There's no reason why you shouldn't live life to your full potential. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," he said, and he kissed her gently on the lips.

Rose sighed, and kissed him back. It was bliss.

* * *

 **FINALLY! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Fear not - there is one chapter left! As always, feedback welcome. :)**


	24. Chapter 24

"It's past curfew," said Lily anxiously.

"She'll be fine, Lily," said Mary, though she looked unconvinced herself.

"I just wish I knew where she was! Or at least why she's so upset. I'm sick of Remus being such a prat!" she exclaimed. Her gaze wandered over to where Potter was sitting. He was deep in conversation with Black while Pettigrew snored softly. The more Lily watched them, the more agitated she became. This was all because of their friend who they insisted on defending. She had a strong suspicion that they knew exactly what had happened between Rose and Remus, but they refused to tell her.

Suddenly unable to contain her anger, Lily jumped to her feet, startling Mary.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, but Lily ignored her. She stormed up to where Potter and Black were sitting.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she demanded.

"Er -" started Potter, looking confused.

"It's past curfew!"

"Save it, Evans," drawled Sirius. "I'm not in the mood for your dramas."

"Do you think this is a game?" she asked, glaring at him. "Rose is out there, alone and upset, and I know that you know why. And if you don't tell me right now what's going on, I'm going upstairs to ask Remus myself!"

"That won't be necessary," said Potter quickly, looking uneasily at the boys staircase. "I'm sure Rose will be back soon."

"So you won't tell me? Fine." she said, before turning around and heading towards the boys staircase before anyone could stop her. She ran up the stairs, two at a time, acutely aware that Potter and Black were at her heels, calling her back.

She knocked on the boys dormitory door.

"Remus, open the door," she called. There was no reply. "Remus, if you don't open the door right now, I'm coming in!"

"You can't go in there!" exclaimed Potter indignantly.

"Then tell me what Remus did to upset Rose."

"I told you, Rose upset Remus, not the other way around," said Sirius irritably.

"How? What did she do?" asked Lily skeptically.

"That's none of your business," snapped Sirius.

"Fine," she said, before she grabbed the handle and threw open the dormitory door. Before Potter or Black could object, she walked into the room, ready to interrogate Remus. But what she saw made her freeze in her spot, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Rose and Remus were lying side by side on his bed, fully dress, hand in hand, both fast asleep on top of his sheets. They hadn't even taken their shoes off.

She looked at Potter and Black. They looked mildly surprised, and wore matching grins. Potter steps forward and took what seemed to be a spare blanket and carefully covered the two sleeping friends, before drawing the drapes closed, hiding them from view.

Potter took Lily by the hand and guided her back out of the dormitory. For once, she did not object. As soon as the door closed behind them, Lily spoke.

"When - how? I thought she was outside the common room!" she asked, looking confused.

"Sirius snuck her back in," said Potter simply.

"We need to get her out, before anyone realises -"

"No. Let them be. Just close her drapes so it looks like she's asleep in her bed. We'll sneak her back into the girl's dormitory when she's ready. Don't worry - I'll make sure she won't be seen."

"Thanks, Pot - James. That's nice of you."

James looked surprised, but smiled back at her.

"Anything for Remus. Besides, it's about time those two got together."

* * *

Rose woke up in a panic, startled to find herself in an unfamiliar bed and _holding someone's hand._ She snatched her hand away, causing the other person to wake with a start.

"Remus?" she whispered incredulously.

He looked at her, startled, and blink away the sleep from his eyes.

"Rose?" he asked, looking confused. "What are you - how did -"

"Oi! Keep it down, you two. Some of us are trying to sleep!" Sirius whined, sounding half asleep.

Horrified, Rose realised she had spent the night in the boys dormitory. _In Remus' bed._

"Oh my God," she said, as she hastily tried to sit up.

"Rose, wait," Remus whispered urgently as he too tried to sit up. He reached for his wand.

" _Muffliato_ ," he said quietly, before adding more loudly, "They won't be able to hear us now."

Rose took in a deep breath and pulled away the sheets. To her immense relief, they were both fully dressed.

"We must have fallen asleep last night," said Remus gently.

"So we didn't - I mean nothing happened, right?" asked Rose uncertainly.

"I think I might remember if we did," said Remus, smiling shyly. "No, I think we fell asleep while talking and someone must have put a blanket on us, rather than wake us up."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, and looked more closely at Remus.

"You look really cute with bed hair," she said, before she leaned in a kissed him chastely on the lips.

"So do you," he replied after she had pulled away.

"Remus?" she said tentatively, looking down at her hands. "There's something I want to ask you, that we didn't talk about yesterday."

"What is it?" he asked, looking apprehensive.

"How long have you - I mean how did you become a -?" she asked, nervously looking up at him, hoping that he wasn't offended by the question.

"I was bitten as a young child. It was just before my fifth birthday," he replied bitterly, without looking at her.

She gasped.

"Oh, Remus. I'm so sorry."

She didn't know what to say, so she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She hoped that he understood.

"Sirius said you saw me yesterday, at the Whomping Willow," he said, still not looking at her.

"I did. Does that lead somewhere?"

"There's a tunnel - it was built specifically for me. It was Dumbledore's idea. It takes me to the Shrieking Shack, in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore set up all sorts of protections on it so I could transform in there. It's safe, you see - safe for me, and for the villagers."

"The Shrieking Shack? That's why you didn't want to take me there? So - it's not haunted? The sounds, that's you?" she asked, thunderstruck at the realisation.

Remus nodded sadly.

"Dumbledore encourages the rumours - ghosts, and ghouls and all sorts of horrible creatures are rumoured to haunt the house. The truth is more terrible, of course. No one suspects that it's actually a teenage werewolf," he said. Rose was startled at the evident self disgust in his tone.

"What's it like?" she asked hesitantly. "The transformation?"

"The transformation is - unbearable. But then the wolf takes over, I don't usually remember much beyond that point."

Rose found herself blinking back tears. It wasn't fair - Remus, her Remus, did not deserve this.

"You're so brave, Remus," she said, unable to keep the tears out of her voice.

Remus finally looked at her, looking startled.

"Rose? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked gently.

"I wish - I wish I could help you, Remus. It isn't fair - you're too good to suffer like this. But there's nothing I can do."

Remus smiled down at her and kissed her on her head.

"You're too sweet. You've already done more than enough, Rose."

"What have I done?" she asked, confused.

"You've given me hope."

"Are you ready?" asked Rose.

"No," replied Remus simply.

Rose and Remus stood alone outside the Great Hall - it had taken longer than expected for Remus to smuggle Rose out of the boys dormitory. By the time she was safely in her own dormitory, most students were already at breakfast.

"Remus, will you calm down?" she said, taking his hand in hers.

"I'm about to enter the Great Hall holding hands with the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts, and you expect me to calm down?" he said incredulously, though his lips betrayed a smile. "You do realize that my chances of crossing the Great Hall without being hexed by some jealous fourth year - or a furious Henry Brown - are exceedingly slim?"

"Don't be silly, Remus. Why would Henry hex you?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I punched him in the face for hurting you?"

"Oh Remus, you're so cute," said Rose wistfully, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Remus blushed, though looked pleased.

"Remus, can we please just go in? I'm hungry!"

"Okay," he said, giving her a hand a light squeeze before he opened the doors and they walked in to breakfast, hand in hand.

They had barely taken their second step before heads started turning in their direction. Students were whispering amongst themselves. Rose caught site of Henry Brown - he was glaring down at his plate. Rose breathed a sigh of relief when they reached their friends. They weren't difficult to spot - James and Sirius were both wolf whistling, and Lily and Mary were grinning broadly.

"About time, Remus!" exclaimed James. "It took you long enough!"

Rose sat down besides Remus and opposite Lily and Mary.

"I _knew_ he liked you!" said Lily, beaming.

"You have a lot of explaining to do!" said Mary. "One minute, the two of you are fighting, the next -" Mary lowered her voice "- Lily finds you in bed together!"

Rose, her eyes wide, stared dumbfounded at Lily.

"You what?" she whispered urgently. "How? When?"

"I went up to the boys dormitories to yell at Remus when you didn't return after curfew," said Lily bashfully, leaning forward to whisper to Rose. "And I saw both sound asleep on his bed - don't worry, you were both fully dressed. James put a blanket on the two of you and closed the drapes. So what happened?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain later," replied Rose.

Rose looked around the table and caught the eye of Sirius, who, to her immense surprise, winked at her, before smirking at her bemused expression. Leaning across Remus, he indicated for her to lean in closer.

"I think I owe you an apology," he said quietly so that no one other than Remus and herself could hear. Rose could hardly believe her ears.

"You're apologising to me? Sirius Black, apologising?" she said, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"It's been known to happen," he said, his lip twitching. "I know I've horrible to you these last few months and -"

"I get it, Sirius. You were worried I would hurt Remus. And you were right. I said some really silly things that I now realised must have been very hurtful. It wasn't until I knew about, you know, that I had to face my own prejudiced beliefs. You were right to worry for your friend," she said.

"I should have trusted you," he said, shaking his head. "I should have given you a chance. I'm - I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," she said, smiling up at Remus, who smiled back at her.

"People are still looking at us," he said, looking around uncomfortably, after Sirius' attention was distracted by Peter.

"Are they?" said Rose uncomfortably, looking quickly around the hall. "You'd think they would have something better to do."

"Better than formulating conspiracy theories about how boring, plain prefect Remus Lupin could have ever won the heart of the lovely and charming Rose Wilson?"

"Maybe I'm the one who should be worried - I'm sure a number of jealous girls out there are plotting their revenge against _me_."

Remus looked skeptical, but he was interrupted before he could reply.

"Oi!" called Sirius, startling both Rose and Remus. "Get a room, you love birds."

Rose laughed along with the others, as she and Remus turned to converse with them. Under the table, she felt Remus slipping his hand into hers, and she smiled.

Together. At last.

The end.

* * *

AN - Sequel: **Love Won't Wait** (complete and recently undergone a minor re-write).

Thanks everyone for reading! This story is complete, however, I have plans on adding more chapters in the future, so I suggest you follow this story if you would like to remain updated. I will probably write more about Rose and Remus' life at Hogwarts (including the infamous event when James saves Severus from Remus) and also post-Hogwarts, ending in the Potters death. Please let me know if you would be interested in reading this. Don't forget to check out the sequel! I also have some new Remus-centric fics planned (including Remus/Tonks) so make sure you follow me to keep informed.

Also, if you love Remus, check out my fic **The DADA Professor** (this story mentions Rose briefly). For more young Remus, check out the cute one-shot **Exposed**. Thanks for reading!


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